It's time for leg one of the Liga MX Clausura final as Cruz Azul and Club America will meet Thursday, bringing the top two teams in the regular season together to clash in the playoffs. It's not always the case that the best teams from the regular season end up being the representatives in the final but this is something that shows just how strong these two sides are as they meet with so much on the line.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, May 23 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes -- Mexico City, Mexico
- TV: TUDN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Cruz Azul +165; Draw +230; Club America +165
Storylines
Cruz Azul: After not winning a league title since 2021, Cruz Azul are potentially 180 minutes from securing one but they'll have quite a challenge in knocking off Club America. Everything goes through Uriel Antuna who has 13 goals and six assists in league play but with Angel Sepulveda also supporting him in attack, this isn't a situation where America can key in on one specific player.
Club America: With Julian Quinones back in the starting XI, America will have their full complement of attackers alongside Henry Martin and American Alex Zendejas. While it has been a team effort from an organized defense to a midfield that can progress play forward, all things are made easier when you have one of the strongest attacks in the league. America can grind out a game or keep up with the best teams in Mexico if they get into a shootout.
Prediction
With this being away from home, I'm expecting Club America to take a more conservative approach ahead of the return leg on Sunday, considering their defensive strength. So this could be more of a grind-it-out match than the two strong attacks would suggest. Pick: Cruz Azul 0, Club America 0