With the Wild Card round delivering quite a few surprises, the Liga MX playoffs will start this evening with more excitement and surprises in hand.
Eight teams have made it all the way to this stage, some of them being consistent throughout the season and others using luck in their favor. Those teams who dominated the league were Monterrey, América, Guadalajara, and Toluca. The teams that went through after the the wild card were Tigres UANL, Atlas, Atlético San Luis, and Santos. The reward for those teams that earned the most points will be to host the return legs of the quarterfinals, which are set to be played during the weekend.
Most of these fixtures have playoff background, but for now, let's focus on how these teams performed against each other in the regular season to get a better idea on how each tie could be sorted out. We will analyze each match in chronological order.
Santos Laguna (13) vs Monterrey (1)
Los Laguneros were the worst-ranked team to make the playoffs, and once they made it to the wild card round, they found a way to eliminate Pachuca after penalties. Now, their "reward" will be to face the league-leading Monterrey, the most consistent team in the tournament and who eearned twice as much points as they did in the regular season. Nevertheless, all those stats are thrown out the window when the ball starts rolling, and Santos know that if they stand a chance to defeat Rayados, they must make the most out of their home-field advantage.
Surprisingly, Santos were able to beat Monterrey in their regular season fixture, and shockingly enough, they did it at Monterrey's stadium with a 2-1 score. Will they be able to repeat that feat and make the semi-finals as one of the biggest underdogs in Liga MX history?
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Atlético San Luis (12) vs América (2)
Las Águilas broke nearly every goalscoring record there was in Liga MX this season, but the yellow and blue side is aware that it will not matter if they are unable to win the title. Their first order of business will be to beat Atlético San Luis in this round, a team that has given them their fair share of problems in past fixtures. The team owned by Atlético Madrid eliminated CONCACAF Champions League finalists León en route to the Quarterfinals, which means that América must be wary of their rivals ahead of this tie, which may be tougher on the pitch than initially expected.
The regular season match between these clubs saw América emerge victorious with a 3-1 score, courtesy of a brace by goalscoring leader Henry Martín and one more by Diego Valdés. Will that game be a sign of things to come, or will San Luis continue their quest to the next round with a shocking result ahead of the second leg?
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Atlético San Luis 1 - 3 América
May 10, 2023 11:10pmEstadio Alfonso Lastras Ramírez (San Luis Potosí)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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Atlas (9) vs Guadalajara (3)
The clash between the two most popular teams in Jalisco comes in a time where it could be named as the most electric match in this round. Los Rojinegros have earned bragging rights over their neighbors due to an unbeaten run across all comps, but Guadalajara's performance all season long has been far superior than the one shown by Benjamín Mora's side. Now, it will be time for Chivas to prove they are for real, and what better way to do so than defeating Atlas after failing to do so in their last six meetings.
Guadalajara seemed close to end Atlas' run against them in this campaign when they took a 3-1 lead in their regular season clash. Nevertheless, Los Rojinegros bounced back to earn a 3-3 draw, which came in handy for them to establish an unbeaten run that has lasted until this point of the season. Let's see if it pays off during this stage for the red and black side.
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Tigres UANL (7) vs Toluca (4)
The team from the North side of Mexico get ready to lock horns with Toluca in what has turned out to be a tough match to predict. The gold and blue side has dominated most of their matches against Los Diablos at home, while Toluca has done the same when playing as hosts. This Thursday, Gignac and Co. will try to put to good use their home-field advantage and get a decent lead for the return leg, which will be held at noon in the high altitudes of Toluca.
This tie gave us one of the best games of the regular season in Liga MX, with Toluca beating Tigres 3-2 at home. Nevertheless, this match may have a different outcome due to the fact that Tigres had to change their coach one week after that game because of their shaky form. Let's see if Robert Siboldi's tactics benefit Tigres this time around and see them claiming a positive result at home.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
Tigres UANL 4 - 1 Toluca
May 11, 2023 11:10pmEstadio Universitario de Nuevo León (San Nicolás de los Garza)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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