The Santos Laguna vs Pachuca Liga MX semifinal will be held this Saturday, May 10, 2014 (5:55 PM Pacific) at the Estadio TSM Corona. Laguneros and Tuzos will play in this second-leg match in what will decide the first finalist of the Clausura 2014. The visiting team has a 2-0 score advantage as they won last Friday at the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca.
The team coached by Pedro Caixinha will have to rebound from a two goal deficit once again if they want to reach the next stage of the ‘liguilla’. In the quarterfinals against Club America, Santos Laguna went into the second-leg losing 3-5 after their loss at the Estadio Azteca. Once at home, they were able to defeat their rivals 3-1 and qualified into the semifinals due to the ‘away goal’ rule.
This Saturday, Santos is in a similar situation, as they will have to score at least two goals in order to reach the final. A 2-0 win will earn them their pass thanks to their higher seed than Pachuca, while a two goal win with Pachuca scoring (i.e. 3-1, 4-2, etc.), will eliminate them due to the away goal rule. Considering Santos needs to win by several goals, Caixinha will style a highly offensive system which will create an entertaining spectacle.
The tuzos are a step away from returning to the finals which they have not done since the Clausura 2009 when they won the championship against UNAM Pumas. The first-leg had Pachuca be extremely efficient on offense, scoring two times, but most importantly they played an intelligent game in the midfield which subdued any Santos Laguna attack.
In order to reach the final, Pachuca will once again have to play a perfect defensive game, against none other that the league’s best offense. The tuzos will reach the final with a win, a tie, if they lose by a goal, or if they lose by two goals but score more than once.
Santos Laguna vs Pachuca Prediction
The Santos Laguna vs Pachuca second-leg semifinal will be an extraordinary match as the laguneros will focus on offense, and Pachuca will look to defend for the 90 minutes. Santos will undoubtedly control the game, but the question is if their weak defense will be able to hold the opponent’s score to zero goals. In a great match, Santos will win, but Pachuca will reach the final on a 2-1 score; 2-4 aggregate in favor of the tuzos.
Santos Laguna vs Pachuca TV Schedule
The Santos Laguna vs Pachuca match will be televised on UniMas at 5:55 PM Pacific.
Santos Laguna vs Pachuca Highlights
The Santos Laguna vs Pachuca video highlights will be uploaded soon after the end of the match.
