The Liga MX Apertura will be decided Sunday in a second leg set for plenty of drama after Thursday’s scoreless draw in the first leg
It’s all come down to this.
After a scoreless draw in the first leg Thursday, the winner of Sunday’s second leg between Cruz Azul and Club America will lift the Liga MX trophy.
Cruz Azul is seeking its first title since the 1997 Invierno tournament, while America’s last title was in the 2014 Apertura. Each team would love to add another piece of silverware to their cabinet and give supporters a reason to take to the streets of Mexico City to celebrate. The margins are slight, and Sunday’s game has the potential to be a classic.
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| Game | Cruz Azul vs Club America |
| Date | Sunday, December 15 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
In the United States, the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision, Univision Deportes Network | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
| Position | Cruz Azul players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Corona, Allison, Pelaez |
| Defenders | Aguilar, Dominguez, Lichnovsky, Flores, Aldrete, Sanchez, Maduena, Silva |
| Midfielders | Salas, Montoya, Hernandez, Mendez, Dominguez, Mena, Baca, Marcone, Alvarado |
| Forwards | Cauteruccio, Caraglio, Renteria, Zuniga |
Cruz Azul manager Pedro Caixinha moved Jose Maduena to the bench and started Julio Dominguez, who had spent most of the year as a center back, as a right back in the first leg. He may execute that switch again. Javier Salas or Rafael Baca in central midfield is the other question Caixinha must answer.
Potential Cruz Azul XI: Corona; Dominguez, Aguilar, Lichnovsky, Aldrete; Baca, Marcone; Menez, Alvarado, Hernandez; Caraglio
| Position | Club America players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Marchesin, Jimenez, Estrada |
| Defenders | Vargas, Sanchez, Alvarez, Reyes, Valdez, Aguilera, Aguilar, Torres, Leon, Zamora |
| Midfielders | Rodriguez, Menez, Uribe, Dominguez, Ibarguen, Corona, Arce, Insaurralde, Lainez, Lopez, Moreno, Garcia, Ibarra, Rodriguez, Aguilar |
| Forwards | Martinez, Martin, Peralta, Gonzalez |
Mateus Uribe and Roger Martinez both left the first leg with injuries and are doubtful to take part in the second leg.
If Edson Alvarez gets back to full fitness, America could flex to three at the back, though Uribe’s absence may make Herrera’s frequent 5-3-2 difficult to execute.
Potential America XI: Marchesin; Aguilar, Valdez, Aguilera, Sanchez; Corona, Rodriguez; Ibarra, Lainez, Dominguez; Peralta
Another chapter is set to be written in the history of the Estadio Azteca, one of the most legendary venues in the Americas.
Either Cruz Azul or Club America will win the Liga MX title Sunday, with everything in the balance after a 0-0 draw in Thursday’s first leg. In that contest, Cruz Azul’s league-best defense was able to keep America’s attack in check. That’s no small feat against a team that had scored more goals than any other team in Liga MX.
Sunday’s game should open up a fair bit, though. Cruz Azul will need to push a bit more than it did in the first leg, which saw only one cross completed between the two teams and the best chances coming off set pieces.
That might not change. Cruz Azul has struggled to generate chances against strong defenses during the season, and America has been lethal from set pieces – so much so that center back Bruno Valdez leads the team with seven goals.
Valdez looked lucky to avoid a red card in the first leg, tossing an arm into the torso of Cruz Azul center back Igor Lichnovsky in an incident that escaped the attention of both the referee and the VAR. America may be without midfielder Mateus Uribe and forward Roger Martinez, however.
Both made way because of injury in the first leg, and while the club has been bullish about their recoveries it seems unlikely they’ll be able to start. That could considerably change Miguel Herrera’s tactics, with the Colombians critical to the way America plays.
That’s why the balance seems to have shifted in Cruz Azul’s favor – but that is also how it seemed when La Maquina held a 2-0 aggregate advantage five years ago in a final only for America to score two late goals and win the trophy in a penalty shootout.