During Thursday’s semifinal first leg against Tigres, things didn’t go as planned for Tijuana. Following an injury to central defender Juan Carlos
During Thursday’s semifinal first leg against Tigres, things didn’t go as planned for Tijuana.
Following an injury to central defender Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Xolos fell apart in the 2-0 away loss. Tigres dominated possession for most of the match and were unlucky to not sneak in another goal or two past Tijuana.
Now, with a two-goal deficit in hand, manager Miguel “Piojo” Herrera will need to pull off a minor miracle on Sunday.
Sure, Xolos could go through with a 2-0 win of their own, but it’s also important to remember that one opportunity from Tigres could nearly end the series. Due to the away-goal tiebreaker rule, one goal from the current title-holders would mean that Xolos would need to score at least four times.
In case you missed that, there’s a decent chance that Tijuana will need to find the back of the net four times against Mexico’s most talented roster. Yikes.
Stranger things have happened in Liga MX, and with a home-field advantage at the Estadio Caliente, Xolos still have the capabilities to walk away with a spot in the finals.
That said, Herrera and his men will need to be near-perfect.
Key to success for Tijuana — Upgrade the attack seen from the first leg
On paper, Herrera’s gameplan on Thursday made sense. The manager sat back with a line of five that, in theory, was supposed to frustrate Tigres. Valenzuela’s injury ruined that gameplan, therefore allowing the opposition with a golden opportunity to score twice in the first half.
Due to a lack of healthy defenders, and a need to at least score twice, Herrera must take his chances by switching back to a four-man defense. Although it’s risky against Tigres, it would be more risky to not add another attacker in the second leg. Tijuana needs goals, and Herrera must be able to provide that opportunity by improving the attack.
Xolos player to watch — Aviles Hurtado
If there’s any hope for a comeback here, Tijuana will need Hurtado to carry and lead the attack. Despite the talents of Tigres, at his best, nobody in Mexican can stop Hurtado. The Colombian is brilliant with the ball at his feet and the team’s main source of creativity.
As for his injury from Thursday’s first leg, Herrera stated on Saturday that Hurtado is recovered and ready for this weekend’s match.
Predicted score — Xolos 3-1 Tigres (aggregate score Xolos 3-3 Tigres)
Unfortunately for Tijuana, I wouldn’t be surprised if Xolos are knocked out through the away-goal tiebreaker. Keeping in mind that Tijuana will be stretched out in efforts to push for a win, Tigres should be able to find the back of the net through a dangerous counter.
Predicted starting XI for Tijuana
Due to injuries, both Michael Orozco and Valenzuela will miss out on Sunday’s game. Joe Corona, who was previously left out of the starting XI, should be fit to return.
With so much on the line, and a player like Valenzuela out of the gameday roster, it’s difficult to predict Sunday’s starting XI. However, here is how I believe it will look like.
