Liga MX Update: Monterrey is now the favorite

After seven weeks of action in the 2019 Liga MX Clausura, a new team has emerged as favorite to win the title. Dethroning Club América is Monterrey, which currently sits atop the Liga MX table with 17 points and remains undefeated in seven games played.

It was bound to happen following another stumble from Las Águilas. Monterrey (+300) has capitalized on Club América’s lack of wins in recent weeks and is now the odds-on favorite to lift the trophy. Los Rayados were always going to be on the list of favorites because of the sheer talent they have available in their squad, and frankly, it’s to the surprise of nobody that they are currently top of the league standings and unbeaten.

What could cause bettors reason to worry is that Monterrey still hasn’t seemed to have taken that extra step yet despite its successful start to the season. In particular, Monterrey has looked vulnerable away from home, needing to score last-minute goals on two occasions to get the win. Monterrey’s rest of the season outlook away from home does seem a little too forgiving, with Chivas and Toluca probably being their toughest away games, so that might not be something to worry about too much until at least the start of the Liguilla.

Tigres continue to stay strong

Rounding out the top three are Tigres UANL (+350) and Club América (+450). The former is the team we need to talk about because it has quietly broken tradition and started the season firing on all cylinders. Since the start of the Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti era, Tigres have been notorious for slow starts, but this season, the message appears to have been lost, as los Felinos are currently second in the league standings with 16 points.

Tigres don’t appear to be messing around, and perhaps most telling of all is that star striker Andre-Pierre Gignac doesn’t appear to be playing around either. The Frenchman turned 33 in December but isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. So much of Tigres’ success depends on Gignac, and when he is playing well, so is the rest of the team. Currently, Gignac leads the team in scoring with five goals scored in seven matches.

The potential X factor for Tigres is one that might also affect the previously mentioned Monterrey. Both sides will participate in the upcoming 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, and it will be interesting to see just how seriously both of these teams will take the competition after their hot start.

León looks like a genuine candidate for the title

At what point is it appropriate to talk about Club León as a genuine contender to win the title? The team from Guanajuato has been one of the league’s surprise packages this season, and the oddsmakers have taken the step of now making León fourth in the list of favorites to win the Clausura. León (+650) right now is third in the Liga MX standings with 14 points and has won four straight going into Week 8.

Two things make León an interesting choice. They have an intriguing group of players at their disposal, and in Angel Mena and youngster Jose Juan Macias, they have arguably one of the best duos in all of Liga MX. Combined, Mena and Macias have accounted for 10 of León’s 16 goals this season.

The other thing worth mentioning about León is that recent history has been kind to “La Fiera.” León is no stranger to going on runs and winning Liga MX titles. The last time León did exceptionally well in a Liga MX season was in 2013 when it won back-to-back league titles. The idea that León can’t go all the way becomes immediately irrelevant given that piece of information alone, and they probably deserve a long look now as a true contender.

ODDS TO WIN 2019 Liga MX Clausura