David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Cruz Azul
Leon
The second leg of the Clausura Liga MX quarterfinals will be played on Sunday at Mexico City's 'Olimpico' stadium, where Cruz Azul will host León. In the first match, Cruz Azul clinched a 3-2 victory. I'm offering a bet on the outcome of this clash with promising chances for success.
Match preview
Cruz Azul are in outstanding form, delivering impressive results over recent months. The team finished the regular season in third place with 33 points, firmly establishing themselves among the Liga MX leaders. Notably, the 'Blues' are on an unbeaten run that now stretches to 17 matches.
Moreover, Cruz Azul have reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League, confidently overcoming tough opponents. In the quarterfinals, they defeated América (0-0 away and 2-1 at home), and in the semifinals, they got past Tigres (1-1 away and a narrow 1-0 home win). On the road this season, Cruz Azul have also looked solid: in 10 away games, the team has claimed 5 wins, suffered two defeats, and drawn three times. Importantly, they beat León 3-2 in the first leg.
León finished the regular season in sixth place, collecting 30 points from 17 matches. However, their recent form leaves much to be desired: just one win in their last five outings and three defeats in their most recent games clearly signal a decline.
In the first match against Cruz Azul, the 'Lions' collapsed in the first half, conceding three times. Early in the second half, the hosts pulled one back, but soon after, Frias was sent off and their chances of a comeback dropped to a minimum. Notably, this defeat only highlights their struggles with finishing, despite creating dangerous chances. In fact, by expected goals (xG), León were superior – 1.26 versus 0.81.
Probable lineups
- Cruz Azul: Maier, Ditta, Lira, Orozco, Sanchez, Sepulveda, Rivero, Rotondi, Fernandez, Gutierrez, Rodriguez
- León: Blanco, Reyes, Bellon, Barreiro, Santos, Guardado, Fonseca, Mendoza, Moreno, Rigoni, Cadiz
Match facts and head-to-head
- Cruz Azul have beaten their opponent in their last five meetings
- The 'both teams to score' bet has landed in four of the last matches
- The 'over 2.5 goals' bet has come through in the last four games between these sides
Prediction
The bookmakers are siding with Cruz Azul in this match, and it's no surprise. León have proven to be a favorable opponent, and Cruz Azul should get the win at home. Our pick: 'Cruz Azul to win' at odds of 1.84.
