Playoff seedings on line for Atlas, América and Cruz Azul
The final matchday of the Liga MX season continues on Thursday with four games, three of which have playoff implications while the fourth could impact the “Relegation Standings.”
At the top end of the table, second-place Tigres visit fourth-place Atlas and sixth-place América hosts seventh-place Cruz Azul. The Tigres have the No. 2 seed sewn up but Atlas, América and Cruz Azul could each lay claim to a Top 4 seed and a bye in the first round of the Liga MX playoffs.
Also playing Saturday: Monterrey hosts Tijuana (the host Rayados are eager to secure home-field advantage in the wildcard round, while the Xolos were eliminated when Mazatlán FC won Friday night) and FC Juárez travels to Querétaro.
The latter match finds the host Gallos Blancos scrambling to avoid a 33 million-peso fine for finishing third-bottom in the “Relegation Standings.” A win over the Bravos and a Toluca loss or tie at León on Sunday would be enough for “The White Roosters” to leap-frog Toluca out of the “Sanction Zone.”
Seeding at stake for Liga MX playoffs
Atlas, the defending Liga MX champs, welcome the slumping Tigres with the knowledge that a draw would be enough to secure a Top 4 seeding and a first-round bye. The Zorros – boasting the second-best defense in Liga MX (14 goals allowed) – has the benefit of facing a short-handed Tigres team that simply wants to arrive to the quarterfinals in good health.
League-leading scorer André-Pierre Gignac (11 goals) is unavailable for the Tigres (thigh injury) and coach Miguel Herrera will prioritize caution over victory. Although “Los Felinos” have lost two in a row, “El Piojo” knows it is more important to be fresh for the quarterfinals which will kick off in 11 days.
At Estadio Azteca, the streaking Aguilas would like nothing better than to send Cruz Azul tumbling further down the Liga MX table while snaring a first-round playoff bye. If América racks up its eighth win in a row, the Mexico City giant will be guaranteed no worse than a fourth-place finish.
The Cementeros are headed in the opposite direction and have been shut out in three of their past four games. Goalie Jesús Corona remains out with a stress fracture in his right leg. The Cruz Azul captain has been sidelined since mid-March with back-up keeper Sebastián Jurado filling in admirably.
“La Máquina” could salvage their disappointing season with a win over their bitter crosstown rivals and if “The Blue Machine” does beat América they could steal away with a Top 4 seed.
In Monterrey, the Rayados (23 points) have an outside chance at staking claim to a Top 4 seed but they’d have to win big against Tijuana. A five-goal victory could lift Víctor Manuel Vucetich & Co. into third place if other results break their way, but a sixth-place finish is more likely and that would ensure a home game in next weekend’s wildcard round.
A draw or a loss could see Monterrey slip into ninth place, an outcome that would force the Rayados to go on the road in the wildcard round.
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In Querétaro, the Gallos Blancos must defeat the hapless Bravos of FC Juárez (in last place in both the Liga MX table and the “Relegation Standings”) to have any chance of avoiding a hefty pay-out over the summer. Both teams are destined to begin next season at the bottom of the “Relegation Standings” so any points from the season finale would be a much-needed boost.