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Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul: Liguilla Semifinals Preview

Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul: Liguilla Semifinals Preview

Liga MX

We are on our way through the last stretch of the Liguilla. As the last four teams stand in Liga MX, we continue to have the most exciting matchups available in each encounter at this stage of competition.

For now, our focus is on the clash between Monterrey, fourth in the round-robin, and Cruz Azul, second in the table.

Now, these two teams should give their all to reach a final that will,surely, be exciting.

When: 

Thursday, May 16, 11:00 pm ET at the BBVA Stadium

Moneyline odds: 

Monterrey 2.13

Cruz Azul 3.215

Draw Offs: 

3.52

Where can I watch it? 

TUDN USA

Why Bet on Monterrey?

Monterrey was looking pretty tough at the start of the Clausura MX 2024, landing and retaining the top spot for a while. However, their regular season close was pretty poor, and it even cost them elimination in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Columbus Crew. 

Either way, they recovered in time and delivered on their quarterfinal clash, landing a 2-1 victory over Tigres as visitors in the first leg. They sealed the qualification with a 1-1 draw at the BBVA Stadium on the second leg, and now, facing a stronger rival, they must maintain the pace.

The issue is that Rayados come as the lower seed, so they must face two inconveniences. First, they’ll close the series as visitors, and second, they will be eliminated in case of a tie in the aggregate score.

Why Bet on Cruz Azul?

Cruz Azul had a regular season of ups and downs, getting some great streaks and later landing some weeks without a win. However, they recovered just in time to fight for the first seed towards the end of the round-robin, although they fell short thanks to a couple of draws in the last five games.

Now, about their quarterfinals clash, they landed a 2-0 score over Pumas as visitors. That practically sealed the tie, but they had to suffer a little in the second leg to ensure their qualification, as UNAM was very pushy and should have won the game except for a late goal by Faravelli.

They must improve the image from the previous match and, even better, reapply the same dose to get out of the BBVA with the three points, but that is easier said than done.

Final Betting Analysis: Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul

In the regular season, Cruz Azul got the upper hand over Monterrey in one of the games that confirmed Rayados’ debacle towards the end of the round-robin. At the time, a great double by Uriel Antuna, the MVP for La Maquina this season, sealed the clash.

These teams saw a total of 60 times, where Cruz Azul achieved a slight advantage with 23 wins against 21 for Monterrey. However, in the last five games, there is a clear supremacy by Rayados with three victories and a tie, contrary to only one triumph for la Maquina.

It is important to remember that Cruz Azul came from terrible campaigns at a low level and failed to be a protagonist, and they quickly recovered from the rivalry with Monterrey as their performance improved.

We’ll go for a draw this time, believing that the trend from the last matches will persist a little more. Go for a 1-1.

Go for a draw at 3.52. If you bet $100 at such odds, you could get $252 for a total payout of $352.

Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul Betting Pick: Draw

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