Old rivals meet for the first time this season as Cruz Azul and Club América clash on Sunday at the Estadio Azteca in Week 14 of the 2019 Liga MX Clausura.
Club América comes into this match after a demoralizing loss to Xolos de Tijuana. For Las Águilas it was only their second defeat in their last seven Liga MX matches, but they remain just one win short of virtually sealing their place in the Liguilla.
Meanwhile, Cruz Azul has been on a roll lately. La Máquina have not lost in their last six Liga MX encounters. Pedro Caixinha’s men finally appear to have gotten over their Liga MX final hangover and arrive to this match fifth in the standings with 22 points, also a win away from clinching a place in the Liguilla.
- The total has finished in the UNDER in six of the last seven meetings of these two teams across all competitions.
- Cruz Azul is unbeaten in its last six Liga MX matches.
- The total has finished in the OVER in four of Cruz Azul’s last five Liga MX matches.
Club América vs Cruz Azul Game Center
Club América has always been Cruz Azul’s ultimate test
Of course, by now you probably know this will be the first time Club América and Cruz Azul face off since playing each other in last season’s Liga MX final. Las Águilas won that series to lift their historic 13th league title, while Cruz Azul finished its 12th straight year without the trophy. More than a Clásico, for Cruz Azul this game is personal, as this was their second straight Liga MX final lost to their biggest rival.
If you are Club América, you will gladly continue to play the role of villain to Cruz Azul if it means winning games, and that’s exactly what they’ve done against La Máquina in recent years. Las Águilas have not lost in their last 13 meetings vs Cruz Azul across both Copa MX and Liga MX. From those 13 matches, eight of those have been Aguilas victories.
That said, things have been a lot closer than the statistics tend to show and counting out Cruz Azul’s chances would be a big mistake. In fact, four of the last six meetings between these two teams have finished in draws.
Goal ‘Machine’
Almost uncharacteristically for a Pedro Caixinha team, Cruz Azul has been on a tear offensively through the course of the last few weeks. If there is a common trend in Cruz Azul’s latest positive streak, it is that they are scoring goals. La Máquina have scored at least two goals in each of their last five Liga MX matches. This includes their last three at the Estadio Azteca.
In particular, Milton Caraglio has been Cruz Azul’s best attacker. The tall Argentine striker made history in La Màquina’s last match, scoring the 10,000th goal in the history of the Estadio Azteca. For Caraglio, it was also his second goal of the match and his third straight game scoring a goal, as well as his fourth in Cruz Azul’s last five Liga MX matches.
This game could change the trend
Despite Cruz Azul’s sudden interest in scoring goals, the Clásico Joven has traditionally been a game of low scoring. Six of the last seven Clásico Jovens have finished with a total in the UNDER, and perhaps most odd of all is that four of those six games were scoreless draws.
If this trend is to change, though, this seems like the perfect game for that to happen. Four of Cruz Azul’s last five Liga MX matches have finished with a total in the OVER, while five of Club América’s seven have also finished in the OVER.
My take on the game...
I’m tempted to say that Club América’s defeat to Xolos de Tijuana was purely circumstantial. Las Águilas were often the better team and should have left the Estadio Sportsbook with at least a point. Against Cruz Azul, a team Club América regularly does well against, I’m expecting them to return to winning ways. At the same time, I feel like this game has the opportunity to buck the trend and finish with a match total in the OVER.
