Almost nothing separated Chivas de Guadalajara from Club América during this Liga MX season. They finished with the same number of points and with the same record over their final three games. Chivas finished just one place ahead of their rivals, with a goal differential only one better than América’s. On Thursday, they face off in the first leg of their Liga MX playoff quarterfinal.
América vs. Chivas 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know for Liga MX playoffs
Chivas de Guadalajara has gotten the better of their rivals recently, but Club América has the firepower to win on Thursday.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Chivas won the league meeting between the two teams this year, early in the season. They took an early lead at Estadio Azteca in August and never looked back, as Isaac Brizuela dominated in his team’s 3-0 victory. América and Chivas played more recently in Copa MX, with the Goats advancing on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
These teams also met in the quarterfinals of last season’s Liguilla, with America going through. But Oribe Peralta was the hero in that tie, and age has caught up to the América striker. Their new top goal-scorer is Silvio Romero, and he’ll need to put in a big performance for his team to take a lead to the second leg in Guadalajara next week.
How to watch online: If you’re a TV subscriber to Univision Deportes, you can catch the game online for free at Univision Deportes en vivo. If that doesn’t work for you, the match is also available via paid streaming services Fubo and Sling.
Match date/time: Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
TV: Univision Deportes (U.S.), TDN, Canal 5 Televisa (Mexico)
Make friends: Liga MX blog FMF State of Mind.
Three things to know
- América’s defense is vulnerable. While América have a solid goal-scoring record during this tournament, their 26 goals allowed in 17 games is considerably less impressive. Defenders Bruno Valdez and Paul Aguilar are unavailable for this game, as are midfielders Javier Guemez and Jose Guerrero. Against some second-string personnel, Chivas should be able to score.
- Chivas will also like their matchups out wide. Assuming América sticks to their usual 3-5-2 system, the visitors will like their chances of creating opportunities by overloading the flanks. The Chivas fullbacks are solid going forward, and their wingers are even more dangerous scoring threats than their strikers. Look to see if Chivas is attempting to create two-on-one overloads on the wings, and if América has a plan to deal with that.
- Another loss to Chivas would be devastating for América. This is Club América’s centennial season, and they were hoping to mark it with some silverware. So far, they’ve failed to live up to their potential, and they’ve lost to Chivas twice. At a club where the clásicos often matter more than where the team finishes in competitions, manager Ricardo La Volpe could lose his job if he loses this quarterfinal.
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