The Santos vs Morelia match will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2013 (5:00 PM Pacific) at the TSM in Torreon. Santos and Morelia are both guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, what they are playing for is home field advantage in the quarterfinals. Santos locks up the #4 seed with a win or draw, Morelia is forced to win if it wants that #4 seed.
Santos has been one of the better teams in the tournament, sitting in 4th place with 29 points, just 3 points off league-leading Club America. Unfortunately, they are having a bit of a rough end to the season. Last week, they lost 1-0 at Cruz Azul, and they followed that loss with another loss in the CONCACAF Champions League final. Santos had the win within their grasp, a solid 2-0 lead that they let convert into a devastating 4-2 defeat at the hands of Monterrey.
Nonetheless, Santos is a strong team that coach Caixinha has been able to mold into one of the top defenses of the Liga MX. Santos hasn’t scored too many goals, averaging about 1 goal per game; their defense is outstanding however, with just 9 goals allowed through 16 matches. Santos needs to play up to its usual level, as it will be hard to contain Morelia’s top goalscorer, a Mancilla that is having a tremendous season.
Morelia will once again make an appearance in the playoffs, due to their regular, consistent play throughout the season. Morelia are finishing off the season strong, winning 4 out of the last 5, and riding a 9 game undefeated streak. This away game against Santos will be a very good test to see if Morelia has a realistic chance at the title.
Morelia’s successes can be partly attributed to Mancilla, the aging striker has found his second wind with Morelia, and has been able to score 10 goals this season. After a mediocre season with Atlas, Mancilla has been able to find a comfortable spot in Morelia, where the steady stream of balls supplied by Morelia’s speedy wingers has helped him quite a bit. Morelia’s success in the playoffs will heavily rely on Mancilla’s form.
Santos vs Morelia 2013 Prediction
The Santos vs Morelia match will be an exciting encounter, as both teams will want to end the regular season in a positive note. Caixinha will motivate his team and encourage them to fight strong, in order to retain the home field advantage for the playoffs. Mancilla and the rest of Morelia want to go into the playoffs with a 10 game undefeated streak, expect them to tough it out. The Santos vs Morelia match will end in a stalemate, I predict a score of 1-1.
Santos vs Morelia Television
The Santos vs Morelia match will be televised on Univision Deportes this Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 5:00 PM Pacific.
