The last eight teams in the Mexican top-flight begin their quest for the title this week, and it is time to see what each tie could hold in store for us in the next couple of days in the Liga MX playoffs.
Cruz Azul, América, Puebla, and Monterrey will begin with an apparent advantage due to the fact that they will host the second leg of each tie. Nevertheless, all of their rivals have tools that could help them shock any of the aforementioned teams if they kick back and relax during any of the games.
Let's have an in-depth look at each tie in chronological order, taking under consideration the spot they earned during the regular season right after the name of each team. For those who are not familiar with Liga MX playoffs, the first tiebreaker will be the away goals, and if there is no difference between the teams, the team with the highest seed will go through to the next round.
Toluca (8) vs Cruz Azul (1)
Los Diablos shocked the footballing community in Mexico by eliminating the defending champions León after a penalty shootout. Now, Hernán Cristante's team will try to replicate that feat by eliminating Cruz Azul, a team that dominated the regular season with 41 points to their name. Their game during that stage ended in a controversial 3-2 match, which makes us believe that we could have quite a tight game in our hands.
Atlas (6) vs Puebla (3)
La Franja can be considered the "black horses" of the competition, but Atlas certainly have what it takes to shock them. Nicolás Larcamón's men were quite strong away from home, and they will have to show their worth in Wednesday's game if they want to keep things rolling for them. As for Diego Cocca's side, they managed to beat Puebla at home during the regular season, and if they can replicate that feat at home, it will certainly give them a much-needed boost against one of the teams with the most attractive brand of football in the Mexican top-flight.
Pachuca (7) vs América (2)
Los Tuzos have always given América a hard time when they have clashed in final rounds. América have only won one of their last four liguilla games at Los Tuzos' Stadium, and this will certainly be a tough test for Solari's men. The regular season game between these teams ended in a two-nil win for América, but Pachuca have vastly improved since then and promise not to go down without a fight this week.
Santos (5) vs Monterrey (4)
Having played title matches and liguilla matches before, the only thing needed for these teams to spice up their rivalry was to fight for the right to host the second leg this tournament. Monterrey, with Javier Aguirre at the helm, will try to end a three-game drought without a win against Santos, which includes a one-nil defeat during the regular season. Let's wait and see if Los Laguneros can walk away from this game with a win and keep their options to go through alive.
