When Toluca and Club America met in the Apertura, it was the last game of the regular season. Both teams had already qualified for Liguilla and were without some players who were off on international duty, with America missing a considerably larger contingent. They played to a 1-1 draw at the Azteca, with Alvaro Galindo taking charge of baby America in a match that probably taught us nothing about Thursday’s playoff encounter.
Toluca vs. Club America: Preview and TV schedule
These teams didn’t have a real regular-season meeting, so it’s tough to predict what’s going to happen on Thursday night.
Brian Bahr
Toluca got through the Liguilla quarterfinals in dominant fashion, beating Cruz Azul 3-0 in the first leg to put their tie to bed before they had to play away, but America faced more of a struggle, drawing Tigres on aggregate and going through on away goals.
Both sides are healthy heading into Thursday’s first leg and will have their first-choice sides available. America doesn’t change things up much and will field their attacking 3-5-2, even on the road, but Toluca have switched between back three and four formations throughout the tournament. More often than not, they go to a 4-2-3-1 at home, and that could prove to be a difficult matchup for America.
Match date/time: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Nemesio Diez, Toluca, Mexico
TV: Univision Deportes
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