CO - Football - America - CONCACAF Champions League

Cruz Azul
Their Liga MX's title defense has not had the best start, but the situation has been far from ideal, players on loan to their national teams and injuries have difficult the work of coach Reynoso, on the bright side two defeats in eight games. The absence of goalkeeper Corona has been well cover by Sebastian Jurado and Andres Gudiño.

There is no other result than a win for Cruz Azul, as they have to overcome a one goal deficit from the first leg. Cruz Azul will not have important forward Jonathan Rodriguez for this match but youth forward and current team goal leader Santiago Gimenez will be available, and posses important offensive alternatives in the squad.

Injured:
FW Jonathan Rodriguez
MF Luis Ángel Mendoza
DF Alexis Peña
GK Jesús Corona

Monterrey
Monterrey holds a one goal lead after the first leg match at BBVA Stadium. The second leg will take place in Mexico City, where Monterrey has struggle to get results. Since 2016, Monterrey has played 22 matches in this city, winning three of those, a low 14% success rate.

Considering only matches played at Azteca Stadium two wins from 16 games, losing 50% of the matches played here. In top of that has been unable to defeat Cruz Azul, and in the last match less than a month ago it was a last minute goal that avoid another defeat against them.

Monterrey has just one defeat in Liga MX in eight matches, but has only won twice, with the majority being draws. This crucial match is prelude to another important match in the Monterrey derby against Tigres U. A. N. L. , clearly one of the reasons main striker Rogelio Funes Mori sit out the match against Atlas to be on top form for this two encounters, and one element that will be on the mind of the squad.

Injured:
FW Vincent Janssen
MF Erick Aguirre

Match
It is expect an intense and attractive second leg, both teams posses powerful attacks, and fair defences. Yet in previous encounters between them in this venue have put on close matches and low scoring affairs. A match that will feel tense for stretches, yet both teams posses offensive players to keep everyone on their toes.

Prediction
Both teams arrived with identical results in the most recent five matches, one win, three back-to-back draws, and a loss in their most recent match. It will be a tight semifinal second leg match, to define who will reach the all-Mexican final against America, just one goal separated them here. A level match in which the city altitude provides the edge to Cruz Azul as seen in the previous encounters between them in this venue.

17/09/2021 02:13, read 496 times