América pounded Tijuana on Tuesday and the Xolos are still licking their wounds while plotting revenge at the Estadio Caliente.
Tijuana was knocked out of the Copa MX by América and their opportunity for payback comes tonight when the Aguilas pay a visit. But to have a chance against the defending league champs, Xolos coach Oscar Pareja must help his team rediscover the mid-season form that helped them climb into fourth place.
The Xolos enjoyed a 5-game unbeaten streak from Matchday 5 through Matchday 9, then bounced back after a loss to Pachuca to shut out offensive juggernaut Monterrey before the FIFA break. Since then, Tijuana has stumbled badly, losing 1-0 to last-place Querétaro last weekend then getting spanked 4-0 by América in a Copa MX semifinal match.
Coach Pareja apparently prioritized today’s league match over the Cup match because he held out his starting strike tandem of Ariel Nahuelpan and Gustavo Bou and the Xolos offense was quite frankly inept. After two losses in three league games, Tijuana has slipped into 9th place and they’ll need a late-season push to qualify for the playoffs.
América coach Miguel Herrera will field a team missing three starters as striker Nico Castillo and defenders Bruno Valdez and Emanuel Aguilera are all nursing minor injuries. But the Aguilas have a deep roster and “El Piojo” will be confident that his team is up to the challenge.
The defending champs struggled in February (slogging through a 1-1-2 stretch that saw them fall into 11th place. But in their past 5 games, the Aguilas have been dominant, winning all 5 by an aggregate 12-0 score.
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América now sits in 3rd place and has its eyes on a top 2 seed, but getting healthy for the playoffs is also a concern.
Last match
Querétaro 1, Tijuana 0
The last-place Gallos Blancos climbed out of the cellar with this shocking win over the Xolos. Some pundits suggested that they had overlooked Querétaro ahead of the Copa MX clash with América but when they laid an egg in that game too, the concern became that Tijuana has hit the proverbial wall. The Xolos were outplayed by Querétaro and only got 1 shot on goal all game, with the game-winner coming in minute 75. All in all, coach Pareja needs to fire up his team for the stretch run.
América 3, Tigres 0
Many saw this game as a potential Finals preview but América made short work of the Tigres, scoring early and late while dominating on defense the entire match. Both Nico Castillo and Bruno Valdez left the game injured, but that did not slow down the Aguilas. América followed a pattern that led them to the title last season. Score early off a set piece then shut down midfield lanes so the opponent can’t get a sniff at goal.
Possible line-ups
Tijuana: 4-4-2
Lajud
Mendoza – Velázquez – Braghieri – Fuentes
Bolaños – Rodríguez – Rivero – Castillo
Bou – Nahuelpan
Bou and Nahuelpan absolutely must take advantage of the absences in América’s back line and keep the pressure on the Aguilas defense. Miller Bolaños and Erick Castillo must not get caught too far forward and help slow down América’s fast break counter-attack.
América: 4-2-3-1
Marchesín
Aguilar – Alvarez – Vargas – Reyes
Rodríguez – Uribe
Ibarra – Córdova – Ibarguen
Martín
Renato Ibarra has been a terror to opposing teams for the better part of a month now and Guido Rodríguez looks every bit as good as he did last season when he earned the league MVP. Mateus Uribe is still playing himself into shape though he might be called upon to play a more defensive role against the Xolos.
Key players
Tijuana: Forward Gustavo Bou got off to a fast start this season, but has been virtually invisible the past month. The Xolos need for him to get involved in the offense and the absence of Valdez and Aguilera should allow him to make his presence felt.
América: Forward Henry Martín scored twice against the Xolos in Tuesday’s Copa MX match and he’ll be the focus of the Aguilas attack tonight. Ibarra and Andrés Ibarguen will be looking for him with crosses.
Prediction
I suspect América could experience a mild letdown after reaching their first Copa MX final in 28 years. They’ll play Juárez in the final on Wednesday, then face crosstown rival Cruz Azul next week in a rematch of last season’s league final. It would be no surprise if their focus is less than ideal. Tijuana desperately needs to find a spark and they’ll be up for this game as will their fans. But scoring against the Aguilas is no easy task