In th first legs of the quarterfinal ties for the Mexican Primera 2011 Clausura’s Liguilla, three out of the four home teams won their game while conceding away goals, setting up a fantastic set of second legs across Mexico. Favorites Pumas UNAM and UANL Tigres, both of whom spent the duration of the Clausura fighting for the top spot in the league, now trail Monterrey and Chivas, respectably. Cruz Azul are involved in a tough fight with Atlante, while Club America are in a big hole in their tie against Monarcas Morelia.
Mexican Primera, 2011 Clausura, Liguilla: Home Teams With Work To Do In Second Legs
UANL Tigres vs. Chivas Guadalajara
Saturday, 8 pm ET
Thanks to some fantastic play by Marco Fabian and company, Chivas hold a 3-1 lead going into the second leg of their tie against Tigres. For those unfamiliar with the Primera’s rules, the only real significance that Tigres’ away goal has is that they got a goal on the road, and the deficit is now two goals. The tiebreaker in the first round of Liguilla is your seed, so as the No. 1 seed, Tigres would advance with any two goal win.
Both teams will be with one less player than they had in the first leg, as David Toledo is out for Tigres, while Jonny Magallon is out for Chivas. The latter absence is likely to be the more important one.
Atlante vs. Cruz Azul
Saturday, 10 pm ET
In the second half of the first leg of this tie, Cruz Azul missed numerous opportunities to extend their 2-1 lead, including a missed penalty by Christian ‘Chaco’ Gimenez and a badly missed sitter by Cesar Villaluz. They could end up seriously regretting not scoring and putting Atlante away when they had the chance. The Potros’ leading scorer, Christan Bermudez, was quiet in the first leg. If he wakes up at home, the Blue Machine could be in some serious trouble.
Pumas UNAM vs. Monterrey
Sunday, 1 pm ET
Monterrey pulled off a stunning 3-1 home victory in the first leg of this tie, and they’re halfway towards keeping the famed “Superlider curse” alive by eliminating the team that accumulated the most points in the league phase of the tournament. There are still doubts over the fitness of Luis Perez, Aldo de Nigris, and Sergio Santana, but Jesus Zavala will be returning from suspension to strengthen the Rayados midfield. Anything but a Pumas win would still be a serious upset here, but if Monterrey want to attempt to sit on their lead, they can probably avoid losing by two.
Monarcas Morelia vs. Club America
Sunday, 9 pm ET
Originally scheduled for late afternoon on Sunday, Morelia and America have been moved to primetime. After losing at “home” (in Queretaro, thanks to a U2 concert at the Azteca) in the first leg, America have a tough task if they want to advance. However, the crowd in Morelia, which is not far from Mexico City, is expected to be 50 percent America fans. Additionally, Morelia are actually a better team on the road than they are at home. Still, between the fixture congestion and their first leg loss, advancing to the semifinals seems like a very tough task for America.
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