América, Cruz Azul hope to gain advantage in Liga MX final’s first leg

It will once again be Cruz Azul and Club América who will decide the Sportsbook of the Liga MX title, as the teams open their 2018 Apertura final series on Thursday at the Estadio Azteca.

It wasn’t easy for Cruz Azul, but Pedro Caixinha’s men were able to seal their place in the Liga MX final after drawing with Monterrey in the semifinals. Though Cruz Azul went through as the higher seed, there was no denying they were the better team against a Rayados squad that failed to take advantage of a first-leg lead.

Meanwhile, Club América absolutely demolished Pumas UNAM 7-2 on aggregate. Las Águilas embarrassed their crosstown rivals, who failed to even put up a fight in the second leg.

Club América vs Cruz Azul Game Center

Historic final

This will be the fourth time that Cruz Azul and Club América meet in a Liga MX final, the most of any teams in league history.

History has been kinder to Las Águilas, who have taken the title on two of the previous three occasions. The most recent Liga MX final meeting between these two teams happened in 2013, in what turned out to be one of the most epic games in Mexican football history. When it looked like Cruz Azul was just seconds away from lifting its first league trophy in more than 15 years, América’s goalkeeper scored the equalizing goal in the dying seconds. América eventually went on to win the game on penalties, inflicting on Cruz Azul its most heartbreaking loss in the club’s history.

In that respect, there is a bit of a revenge factor going into this game, with Cruz Azul looking to exorcise past demons against their most hated rivals.

Club América’s offense has been on a tear

At least momentum-wise, Club América has a lot going its way. If defeating Pumas UNAM 6-1 in its last game wasn’t enough, Miguel Herrera’s men are carrying a streak of 15 straight Liga MX games without a defeat. The last time Club América lost a Liga MX match was in the month of August against Club León.

Moreover, Club América’s attack seems to be clicking at just the right time. Not only did they finish the regular season as the best offense with 33 goals scored, they have scored at least two goals in four of their last five matches.

In fact, such was Club América’s offensive dominance over Pumas in their last match that all six goals they scored were from a different goalscorer.

Roommates at the Azteca

The potential wild-card factor here is the same one as when these teams met earlier in the season. Since the start of the campaign, Cruz Azul has been calling the Estadio Azteca home – the same stadium that Club América also uses for its home games. Since the move, Cruz Azul has failed to lose a single game at the Estadio Azteca, going a total of 15 games without a defeat across all competitions.

But success at the Estadio Azteca isn’t just limited to Cruz Azul. Club América has also been stellar when playing at home. Like Cruz Azul, Las Águilas finished the regular season unbeaten at the Estadio Azteca and have gone 15 straight Liga MX games without losing in their home stadium.

My pick...

What does all of this add up to? Well, we can expect a tight first leg. Like the regular-season meeting between these two teams that ended in a draw, it looks like there is a very good possibility we end the first leg with everything even. You’d also expect there to be a couple of goals, given Club América’s ability to find the back of the net over the course of the season.