Likely starting XI for the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 first leg | OneFootball

The Eagles are already in Philadelphia for the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup against the local team.

América comes into this match with a victory against Querétaro that allowed them to breathe a little, after suffering two consecutive defeats against Tigres and Juárez.

The team is still far from the expected level, but this type of victory can help boost the team's morale and better face this knockout stage against Philadelphia Union.

Interestingly, the opponent is in a worse situation than the Eagles; they have lost their first three matches in the MLS, narrowly to DC United, 2-1 to New York City, and 1-0 to San Jose, with the last two matches being at home.

What seemed like an uneven series after Philadelphia crushed Defence Force 12-0 in the previous round is turning into a more balanced duel, with América even arriving in better form than the opponent.

It is important to remember that the main tiebreaker criterion in this round is away goals, so it will be crucial for América to aim to score in this first leg, to avoid giving any advantage to the rival in the return match.

The probable lineup for this first leg.

In goal, Luis Ángel Malagón will return.

In central defense, we would see the duo of Sebastián Cáceres alongside Israel Reyes; with Kevin Álvarez as right back and Cristian Borja on the left.

In midfield, Jonathan dos Santos, Rodrigo Dourado, and a bit further forward Raphael Veiga.

And in the offensive zone, Brian Rodríguez as left winger, Alejandro Zendejas on the right, and Patricio Salas as the center forward.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.