After a scoreless draw in the first leg, Cruz Azul and Club América face off at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday to decide who lifts the 2018 Liga MX Apertura trophy. The first 90 minutes of this tie were uneventful, to say the least, but Cruz Azul did look like the better team. Now, they face arguably one of the biggest games in the club’s history, as they look to end their 21-year drought without a league title.
- Club América has gone 16 straight Liga MX games without a defeat.
- The final score has hit the UNDER in Cruz Azul’s last six Liga MX games.
- The final score has hit the UNDER in four of the last five head-to-head meetings between these two teams.
Cruz Azul vs Club América Game Center
Cruz Azul comes into this match in better shape
Although Cruz Azul didn’t come out of the first leg with an advantage in the scoreline, you could argue they came out in better shape than Las Águilas. Club América will potentially be without two of their best attacking players after Mateus Uribe and Roger Martinez had to come out of the first leg due to injury.
Tactically, Cruz Azul also looked like the better team. They held better defensively and, in particular, they did an excellent job defending set-pieces. Much of Club América’s success this season has arrived from set-pieces, where Bruno Valdez leads the team in goalscoring with seven goals, so it was encouraging to see Cruz Azul shut down one of América’s biggest strengths.
Finally, Cruz Azul came closest to scoring a goal. In the first half, they forced América goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin to a superb acrobatic save. Then in injury time, Edgar Mendez nearly capitalized on a perfect breakaway, blasting the ball into the woodwork.
Estadio Azteca has been a blue fortress
Again, like in the first leg, the game will be played at the Estadio Azteca. Administratively speaking, however, it will be a home game for Cruz Azul.
It is worth reiterating just how difficult it has been to beat Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca since turning the “Coloso de Santa Úrsula” into their temporary home. In fact, Cruz Azul has not lost a single game there since making the move. As the home team, Cruz Azul has played a total of 15 games across all competitions at the Estadio Azteca. They’ve won 11 of those games and drawn four.
In general (including both the Estadio Azul and Estadio Azteca), Cruz Azul’s last defeat as a home team dates all the way back to March 3 in a game against Querétaro. That amounts to 21 straight games for La Máquina without a defeat.
The UNDER seems to be the best bet
If the first 90 minutes were any indication, it is expected that the second leg will be another close affair with every little goalscoring. As a matter of fact, Cruz Azul’s defensive and low-scoring affairs have been contagious among rivals in very recent weeks. Cruz Azul’s last six Liga MX matches have had two goals or less scored.
This, of course, is no coincidence. Cruz Azul has experienced a defensive revolution under coach Pedro Caixinha, and as a result, La Máquina finished the regular season as the best defense in all of Liga MX. In the Liguilla, they’ve also managed to only concede twice in five games and have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six Liga MX matches.
My pick...
As much as I’d like to say Cruz Azul wins this match in 90 minutes, I think there is a very good chance the game goes to extra time. Though Cruz Azul seems to have the arguments necessary to get the victory, it’s only fitting that it’s all decided at the very end. One thing is for certain, it’s very unlikely we see tons of goals, and if it were up to me, I’d put my money on the UNDER.
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