Club América vs Monterrey: Can Las Águilas pull off a shock? | OneFootball

This Saturday Nov. 29th, Club América will take on Monterrey as part of the second leg of their Liga MX Apertura playoffs tie.

The two sides met on Wednesday night at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, where the hosts dominated. Scoring either side of the break, Sergio Canales broke the deadlock with a thunderous strike from range as a Fidel Ambriz header took a wicked deflection to double the lead for Los Rayados.

Suffering a two-goal deficit leaves América facing an uphill battle as they return to the capital, but it’s not the first time that they have found themselves in a challenging position.

When the sides last faced each other, Matchday Nine, a similar situation unfolded where Monterrey raced into the lead before América netted two goals in the final eight minutes of the game to secure a point. Now, they will need to do the same if they have any ambition of reaching the semi-final.

Club América vs Monterrey: Liga MX Apertura League Form

Heading into the postseason, Club América showed signs of promise, alongside some concerns in the bigger games. In their last five games, defeats to Toluca and Cruz Azul raised eyebrows, whilst a last-minute winner against bottom-of-the-table Puebla also questioned their capabilities to truly compete at the highest level.

In the case of Monterrey, their end-of-season form also took a dip, having won just one of their final six matches. Defeats to fellow playoff rivals like Cruz Azul and Chivas dented what was a strong start to the campaign, where they started with seven wins from eight matches.

Club América vs Monterrey: Head-to-Head Record

Monterrey’s Wednesday night victory extended their run to four games without a defeat against Mexico’s most decorated side, earning two wins and two draws.

Prior to this current run, results had favoured Las Águilas, who went on a six-game undefeated streak, even getting the better of Monterrey to win last season’s Liga MX Apertura title.

When it comes to knockout soccer, these two sides know each other well. Despite losing in last year’s final, Monterrey have come out on top more often than not, claiming the 2019 Apertura final, 2017 Copa MX final and the 2021 CONCACAF Champions Cup final, with a Rogelio Funes Mori goal in the opening nine minutes.

Club América vs Monterrey: Ones to watch

If Monterrey want an easy night on Saturday, they will need to lock down América’s attacker Brian Rodríguez. The Uruguayan is the club’s top goal scorer and assist maker with 11 goal contributions.

The 25-year-old has been quiet in recent weeks, failing to score in any of the last four appearances, but is often involved in the big games. Assists against Tigres, Toluca and Monterrey accompany his goal in the loss to Cruz Azul as he looks to be involved once more to inspire a dramatic second-leg comeback.

As for Monterrey, Sergio Canales was involved in both goals on Wednesday and will need to be blocked if América plan to complete the unlikely this weekend. Like Rodríguez, Canales is Monterrey’s top goalscorer, with 10 goals, but it’s his set-piece skills which often unlock oppositions.

Club América vs Monterrey: Team News

Las Águilas will be waiting on a late call to decide if Allan Saint-Maximim will be available. On Wednesday, Dagoberto Espinoza came off in the first half after suffering a cruel ACL injury, which means he is expected to be sidelined for the next six months.

Monterrey have a number of players on the physio bench with Carlos Salcedo returning from a calf injury, whilst talisman Germán Berterame picked up a knock during the midweek win. Other doubts include 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lucas Ocampos and Michell Rodríguez, who are nursing wrist and thigh injuries.

The tie is far from over, but André Jardine’s men face a monumental task if they have any interest in reaching the next round. Will they be able to overturn a two-goal deficit?