We are only three weeks away from the 2019 Liga MX Clausura Liguilla, and while Club León remains at the very top of the league table, Tigres is slowly winning the respect of the oddsmakers after yet another win.
Last weekend, Club León made history by earning its 11th straight victory, setting the record for most consecutive wins in a single Mexican football season. Look, there is no denying that Club León is one of the teams to beat in the Liguilla, and they will most likely finish the regular season at the very top. However, for whatever reason, the oddsmakers aren’t taking La Fiera very seriously, and that could either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending what side of the spectrum you really are on.
Despite its record-breaking season and sitting at the top of the league table with an outstanding 35 points, León is now second in the favorites list behind Tigres. One reason they might not be getting the recognition they deserve is the fact that they don’t carry the same weight as a team like Tigres or América. In fact, León is still getting very little air time, often overshadowed by América’s victories and Chivas’ miserable season.
Of course, this means that if you are a true believer of La Fiera, the value is definitely there. For a team that looks more than capable of making a deep run in the Liguilla, apart from Club América there may not be a better bet.
Tigres are showing pedigree to win without star player
We have to talk about how Tigres are now suddenly the oddsmakers’ favorite to win the 2019 Liga MX Clausura. Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti’s men have quietly eclipsed León at the very top of the favorites list, and you can probably see why. As opposed to León, Tigres are proven winners, and while they might not be breaking records of any sort, they are still just three points behind León at the top of the league table.
Tigres have been phenomenal and are on pace to have one of their best regular seasons in their history. Most impressive of all is that they have been doing all of this without their star player, Andre-Pierre Gignac, who has been out for most of the season due to injury. Gignac is most definitely a game changer for Tigres, and with him healthy, they are a completely different team. We are talking about a Tigres team that has already looked superb. Add Gignac to the mix of things and you can see why the oddsmakers are so high on Los Felinos.
Cruz Azul suffers a huge blow to its chances
It’s not often that an injury can play such a huge part in a team’s chances at lifting the title, but Cruz Azul’s latest injury could turn out to be a huge blow for Pedro Caixinha’s team. La Máquina remain among the top five in the favorites list to win the 2019 Liga MX Clausura, but that could soon change, as they have lost star defender Pablo Aguilar for what appears to be the rest of the season.
Make no mistake about it, for a team as defensive-minded as Cruz Azul, this is as big a loss as there is. Aguilar was arguably the best defender in all of Mexico during last season’s campaign when Cruz Azul made it all the way to the Liga MX final. With Aguilar out of the picture now, you’d expect coach Pedro Caixinha to adjust after already having to adjust initially following the departure of the team’s star defensive midfielder, Ivan Marcano.
It’s probably best to wait and see how Cruz Azul finishes off the rest of the regular season, but if you are a Cruz Azul backer, it might be time to start looking elsewhere.
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