Last Sunday, May 08, 2022, the matches for the quarterfinal round in the Liga MX were defined so that the Liguilla del Grita X La Paz 2022 could begin. This stage will be very exciting for Mexican soccer fans, since four of the so-called “big” teams will be participating (America, Chivas, Cruz Azul, and Tigres), as well as the champion, Atlas.
We will also have two big surprises in this Clausura 2022 tournament, the leader of the general table Pachuca, which has been the most consistent team throughout the tournament, and Atlético de San Luis, who, being the least favorite, managed to eliminate Monterrey as visitors in the Repêchage. Just as we also have the unknown team, Puebla, which had a great start to the tournament and has had a disappointing end.
Another of the great attractions that we will have in this final phase of the Liguilla is that in the four games we will have an exciting background, the Clásico Tapatío (Atlas vs. Chivas), as the most attractive; Tigres vs. Cruz Azul and Pachuca vs. San Luis, who played title finals in the past and America vs. Puebla, who had memorable matches several seasons ago.
Liguilla Quarterfinals: Pachuca vs. Atlético San Luis
When: Thursday, May 12 at 07:00 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Pachuca +110 / Atlético San Luis +120 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +210
Where Can I Watch? ESPN / Fox Sports / TUDN / DAZN.
This is the first Liguilla in the brief history of Atlético de San Luis. However, they had important precedents against Pachuca, as both teams played in the Final of the Clausura Tournament of Liga MX 2006, with a narrow victory for Pachuca with a penalty goal in the second leg scored by Richard Núñez very close to the end of the match.
In this season, both teams arrive in completely different situations in terms of the level of play. Pachuca was the leader of the Clausura Tournament throughout the campaign and showed an exceptional level of play in every game they played. While Atlético San Luis, arrives as the surprise team in these quarterfinals, since nobody took for granted that they could take the victory against Monterrey in the playoffs, thanks to an excellent performance by their goalkeeper on penalties, they managed to take a great victory to rekindle their expectations of being champions.
Although it is a series that, in theory, Pachuca would have no problem winning, we will have to wait and see how both teams get to this game and if they are playing at the same level as in the regular season.
Pachuca vs. Atlético San Luis Betting Pick: Pachuca
Liguilla Quarterfinals: Tigres vs. Cruz Azul
When: Thursday, May 12 at 07:00 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Cruz Azul -120 / Tigres +135 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +210
Where Can I Watch? ESPN / Fox Sports / TUDN / DAZN
Another series that we are sure will not let us rest easy in our armchairs is, without a doubt, Tigres vs. Cruz Azul, who is in a Liguilla two years later. On that occasion, during the final phase of the 2020 Opening, Tigres came from the Repechage and were eliminated by Cruz Azul, with an overall result of 3-2.
In the regular season, Tigres did not take advantage of their home status after drawing 2-2 at the University Stadium on matchday 8, while they achieved a very good draw as visitors at the Azteca Stadium with a score of 1-1 on matchday 13.
Cruz Azul qualified for these quarterfinals after beating Necaxa in a penalty shootout at the Azteca Stadium, in a very complicated match that was even from start to finish. While Tigres did it directly after finishing in second place in the general classification.
Another precedent in terms of matches between these two great teams is that both played in the 1979-1980 League final, with victory for Cruz Azul with a score of 4-3 on aggregate.
Cruz Azul vs. Tigres Betting Pick: Cruz Azul
Liguilla Quarterfinals: Atlas vs. Chivas
When: Wednesday, May 11 at 09:05 pm ET
Moneyline odds: Atlas +135 / Chivas -105 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +210
Where Can I Watch? ESPN / Fox Sports / TUDN / DAZN
In a result that was not a determining factor according to what happened throughout the match, the Chivas de Guadalajara beat Pumas 4-1 in the playoffs, and now they will face the current champion of the Liga MX, Atlas, who again had a solid tournament, finishing in third place in the regular-season standings, and will now have the advantage of hosting the second leg the weekend at Estadio Jalisco.
This will be the fifth time that Atlas and Chivas meet in a Liguilla. But this is the first time that Atlas arrives as a champion against his city rival. However, history favors Chivas, with three wins.
The most recent duel between these two teams in the final phase of the Liguilla dates back to the Clausura 2017 when they met in the quarterfinals. Atlas managed to win the first leg with a score of 1-0 with a goal from Matías Alustiza. While in the second leg, Chivas also prevailed with the same score, with a goal by Orbelín Pineda, and, due to the global tie, Chivas advanced by a better position in the table to eventually win the title against Tigres, their most recent.
Atlas vs. Chivas Betting Pick: Chivas de Guadalajara
Liguilla Quarterfinals: America vs. Puebla
When: Wednesday, May 11 at 09:05 pm ET
Moneyline odds: America +105 / Puebla +110 (Source: MyBookie.ag)
Draw Offs: +210
Where Can I Watch? ESPN / Fox Sports / TUDN / DAZN
It is the first time that the Águilas and Puebla meet since these short tournaments were implemented. The last time they collided in a Liguilla match was in the 1994-95 season in the quarterfinals, where Puebla also came from the Repêchage and America took the victory with a global score of 4-2 and advanced to the semifinals.
Puebla closed the regular season with three consecutive losses, showing an extremely low level of play, and advanced to this final phase of the Liguilla, after a victory against Mazatlan 3-1 on penalties, while America, since changing coaches, had a change of attitude and impressive level of play, so they finished the tournament with four wins in their last five games and, their draw against Cruz Azul on the last day sent the last one to the playoffs and America secured a direct pass to these quarterfinals.
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