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The Liga MX Apertura comes to an end as Club America and CF Monterrey face off with the tile on the line. While they may not have been at the top of the table before the playoffs started, these are two of the most experienced sides at navigating the playoffs with 20 Liga MX titles between them.
Club America has a record 15, but Monterrey has grown as a force in recent years. Now they will have a home and away match to see who will take this current version and there will be American involvement. Alex Zendejas scored for America in their most recent match, while Brandon Vazquez came off the bench to do the same for Monterrey.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday December 12 | Time: 9:00 PM ET
- Location: Estadio Cuauhtemoc – Puebla, Mexico
- TV: TUDN | Live stream: Fubo TV (Try for free)
- Chances: Club America +105; Sign +220; Monterrey +280
How they got here
Monterrey: Rayados earned a seeded spot in the play-offs after finishing fifth and let the goals fly in their matches so far, with six over Pumas and another six over San Luis on their way to making the finals. The defense can be a problem if six goals are scored, but this is one of the most dangerous attacks in Liga MX led by German Berterame, but there are contributions from the whole team.
Club America: They have played more games than Monterrey, allowing just three goals in the play-offs so far, but all those goals came at the hands of league leaders Cruz Azul in a wild 4-3 win that saw two players deep were sent off with red cards. stoppage time after Rodrigo Aguirre’s penalty in the 94th minute broke the deadlock in the match.
Storylines
Monterrey: Going up against the tough American defense, this will be a chance to see just how good Monterrey’s offense is. While a team doesn’t make the finals by accident, the stakes are different when it faces Mexico’s most successful team. Not being able to keep a clean sheet will make Monterrey’s job more difficult, but it also makes for a pretty watchable finale.
Monterrey predicted XI: Luis Cardenas, Stefan Medina, Hector Moreno, Gerardo Arteaga, Sergio Canales, Oliver Torres, Jorge Rodriguez, Iker Jareth Fimbres Ochoa, Lucas Ocampos, Roberto de la Rosa, German Berterame
Club America: Aguirre may have scored the winner to beat Cruz Azul, but after being shown a red card, Andre Jardine will have to figure out what to do without one of his attackers available. It will put more pressure on Henry Martin and Zendejas, but if this game could be a close match, depth off the bench will be crucial.
Club America predicted XI: Luis Malagon, Cristian Borja, Sebastian Caceres, Ramon Juarez Del Castillo, Israel Reyes, Alvaro Fidalgo, Jonathan dos Santos, Richard Sanchez, Henry Martin, Alex Zendejas
Prediction
It will be a first leg that leaves us wanting more, which is good as these teams play again on Sunday to decide the final. Choose: Club America 2, Monterrey 2