2019 CONCACAF Champions League Final Odds & Picks: Tigres vs Monterrey

• Tigres host Monterrey in Leg 1 of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final on Tuesday, April 23rd at 10:00 pm EST
• Mexico’s Clásico Regio is renewed
• Can Tigres win their first CCL title?

Tuesday night pits two of Mexico’s fiercest rivals against one another in Leg 1 of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions (SCCL) or (CCL) final.

With Leg 1 taking place inside Tigres’ Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza, the home side are +130 favorites to win the opening match, yet small underdogs to win the title.

Leg 2 of the final will take place in Monterrey in Guadalupe on Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 also at 10:00 pm EST.

Tigres vs Monterrey Leg 1 Odds

*Odds taken 04/22/19

While the CONCACAF Champions Cup has been in existence since 1962, the current format has been running only since 2008-09.

Monterrey own the most CCL titles with three, while Club América have the most overall with seven. Mexico have dominated the tournament, having crowned a champion 14 years running.

Major League Soccer did enter five teams in Atlanta United, the New York Red Bulls, Sporting Kansas City, Houston Dynamo, and Toronto FC, though each was eliminated in earlier rounds.

Could This Be Tigres’ Year?

Though always in contention, Tigres have yet to find CCL glory. 2019 will mark the third CCL final for Tigres in the past four years.

Their 2019 CCL campaign included a road loss to Saprissa before cruising past the Costa Rican side 5-1 at home. The quarterfinals saw them eliminate Houston 3-0 on aggregate before a 5-3 aggregate win over fellow Mexican side Santos Laguna in the semis.

Domestically, Los Felinos finished sixth in the Apertura regular season, before being defeated by Pumas in the quarterfinals. With just two matches remaining in the Clausura, they currently sit second on 33 points.

Monterrey Target First CCL Title Since 2013

Unlike Tigres, Monterrey has lifted the CCL title on several occasions. In fact, from 2011-2013 they were victorious three years in a row.

The Rayados were slow to start the tournament advancing just 1-0 over Alianza in the round of 16. The quarters saw them win 3-1 on aggregate to MLS Cup champs Atlanta. In the semifinals, Monterrey blew through Sporting Kansas City 5-0 at home, before a 5-2 win in the away fixture.

#Rayados attack was scintillating again in 4-0 win vs Santos. Rogelio Funes Mori scored a clinical hat-trick. Rodolfo Pizarro scored and pulled the strings. Áviles Hurtado had 2 assists. Lethal speed, verticality, passing, combinations, and finishing!#MTYvSAN #LigaMX ???? pic.twitter.com/QITvz8kGZ7

— Joga Bonito (@Jasoninho10) April 15, 2019

That match featured two goals by Rogelio Funes Mori who’s the current joint-second leading scoring in Liga MX with 11 goals.

In Liga MX, Monterrey were fifth in the Apertura season and were defeated in the semifinals against Cruz Azul. They’re currently right behind Tigres in the Clausura with 29 points in third.

Clásico Regio Head-To-Head History

The two sides hold a long and storied history of competing in the Liga MX. Tigres and Monterrey both play their domestic soccer less than 10 miles apart from each other.

Tigres and Monterrey have met well over 100 times in their history.

With both clubs residing in the Nuevo Leon region, the rivalry, known as the Clásico Regio, is one of the most intense in Mexican soccer. The teams have met well over 100 times in their history.

Of late, the two have split the points in each of their past three matches and in four of the past five.

Goals are usually in the cards when these rivals meet with nine of their past 14 matches seeing both teams finding the back of the net.

Tigres vs Monterrey Recent Results

Tigres has not been able to take advantage of the home-field advantage recently, having drawn each of the past three home matches against Monterrey. Their last home victory over the Rayados came back in May of 2017.

That said, home field hasn’t fared much better for Monterrey, as they’ve also only won one of their past three home matches and neither of the past two.

El Camino a la Final @Rayados #FinalRegia #SCCL2019 pic.twitter.com/AHQB2odTz6

— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) April 21, 2019

The last time these sides played in a non-league match came in 2013 when Monterrey defeated Tigres at home in penalties in the COPA MX final.

Bet Goals in the CCL Final

Money has been moving on the CCL final. While Monterrey look to be a small -125 favorite to lift the trophy today, over the weekend Tigres had still been listed at -160.

Each side will have aspirations of claiming an international double, with trophies in CCL and Liga MX this year.

Across the Apertura and Clausura regular season matches this year, Tigres are 10-3-3 at home with 38 goals for to 17 allowed.

Tigres vs Monterrey CCL Stats

Only once across all competitions have Tigres failed to score at home in their past 16 matches. They’ve posted clean sheets in four of those six, though, did allow three goals to 16th place Morelia. With 20-goal man André-Pierre Gignac leading the line they’ll always be dangerous to score.

Monterrey should also figure into the scoring as the Rayados have scored 16 goals in their last four matches. They’ll look to grab the important road goal to take home to Leg 2.

While I have a live futures ticket on Tigres from prior to the tournament, the home-field in Leg 2 may just be enough for Monterrey to lift their fourth CCL trophy.

Best Bets: Leg 1 – Both Teams to Score -110 / Monterrey to Lift Trophy -125