Chivas Guadalajara will want to play spoiler on Saturday, as they play host to Tigres UANL in their last regular-season game of the 2018 Liga MX Apertura.
Chivas has absolutely nothing to play for anymore after what was a season completely marred by inconsistencies. The team comes into this match after beating Club León 1-0, but any chance of it making the Liguilla vanished three weeks ago after allowing Puebla to come from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc.
As opposed to Chivas, Tigres has fared a lot better this season. Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti’s men are a point away from officially clinching their place in the Liguilla, and only a sizable defeat would put them in serious risk of missing out. In their last game, Tigres demolished Puebla 6-1, thanks to four goals from star player Andre-Pierre Gignac.
- Tigres UANL arrives to this game unbeaten in its last five Liga MX matches.
- Chivas Guadalajara has just one win in its last nine matches across all competitions.
- The OVER has hit in four of Chivas Guadalajara’s last five matches at the Estadio Akron.
Chivas Guadalajara vs Tigres UANL Game Center
Tigres is heating up again
It’s hardly a surprise anymore. What you heard two weeks ago in Mexico was a collective “here we go again” from the rest of Liga MX as Tigres thumped Puebla and earned its second straight victory of the campaign. If you are a regular to Liga MX, then you know very well Tigres tends to get hot late in the season. The team is all about building momentum in the latter part of the tournament and carrying all that momentum into the Liguilla.
Perhaps most intimidating of all, however, is how well Andre-Pierre Gignac is playing. The Frenchman is 32 years old but looking like he is in his prime. After his four-goal performance against Puebla, Gignac leads all goalscorers in Mexico with 14 and there is no indication he is stopping his scoring any time soon.
Chivas has had a miserable time at home
Apart from possibly spoiling Tigres’ desire to close out the season with as much momentum as possible, there is very little incentive for Chivas to take this match seriously. In fact, the Rebaño Sagrado have been a mess at home in all of this 2018 Apertura, and as a result, attendance figures have been an embarrassment. Currently, Chivas is the worst home team in all of Mexico, having lost five of its seven matches at the Estadio Akron. Its last win at home came in August against Necaxa, and since, Chivas has lost four and drawn one.
A rival that suits the Regiomontanos
Speaking of the Estadio Akron, this will be the first time both teams meet in said stadium since the 2017 Clausura final, which Chivas ended up winning thanks to a 2-1 victory. Tigres fans and backers will be glad to know that has been their only defeat away to Chivas in five Liga MX matches. Moreover, Tigres has been something of a bogeyman team for Chivas in recent seasons. In total, Tigres has just one defeat in its last 13 matches vs the Rebaño.
Tigres has also managed to score a goal in eight of its last nine meetings against Chivas. Six of those nine matches have hit the OVER, including two of the last three played in the city of Guadalajara.
My pick...
Three weeks ago, you’d have hoped that this game was going to be the perfect finale to the 2018 Liga MX Apertura regular season. But as it turns out, Chivas is already eliminated and Tigres needs just a point to qualify to the Liguilla. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of potential to get an entertaining match, but it’s a bummer only one team is actually playing for something. That said, at the end I’m going with a Tigres win, and Andre-Pierre Gignac to get on the scoresheet.
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