Club America vs Monterrey Liga MX Apertura Finals Leg 2 Odds & Pick
- Monterrey lead 2-1 after opening leg drama on Thursday
- Stunning late winner hands advantage to Los Rayados
- Club America will have huge backing in Azteca Stadium – read below for our prediction
Monterrey will take a 2-1 advantage into the second leg of Mexico’s LIGA MX Apertura final against Club America on Sunday.
But America have already staged impressive comebacks in both earlier rounds of the competition’s Linguilla knockout section – setting the stage for a thrilling clash in Mexico City (December 29, Azteca Stadium, 9pm EST.)
The analysts made Monterrey favorites for the return match at +109 with Club America offering better value at +235 given their record of defiance in this knockout section’s ties. The draw is +220.
Liga MX Apertura Final Second Leg Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | -½ +109 | +109 | Ov 2½ -110 |
| Club America | +½ -129 | +235 | Un 2½ -110 |
| Draw | N/A | +220 | N/A |
*Odds taken at 2019/12/28
Monterrey – also known as Los Rayados – had been favorites to win the first leg at home at +135 with Club America priced at +205.
There was a thrilling conclusion to the first leg in Monterrey on Thursday when Rogelio Funes Mori scored a stunning and dramatic late winner with a spectacular over-head bicycle kick in the third minute of added time at the end of the game.
‘Goal of the Season’ from Mori
It has been described as the best goal of the whole 2019 Apertura season.
Monterrey finally made their advantage count after America had been reduced to 10 men by the sending off of Sebastian Cordova in the 53rd minute.
It had been America who had taken the lead through an own goal from Carlos Rodriguez in the 45th minute of what had been a tight and tense match littered with fouls.
In an explosive end to what had been a dull first-half, Stefan Medina then equalized within a minute in added time at the end of the first-half.
Funes Mori last min goal vs America – Liga Mx Final 1st Leg 😳https://t.co/oaNQswE6Ge
— chris 🇲🇽🇨🇴🏝 (@chris20mx) December 27, 2019
Club America’s home advantage, the high altitude of Mexico City and the noisy backing of 80,000 home fans may hand them the advantage.
The game underlined the fact that there is little to separate the two teams.
However, Club America’s home advantage, the high altitude of Mexico City and the noisy backing of 80,000 home fans may hand them the advantage.
Club America vs Monterrey Stats
| 19 | Head-to-Head Wins | 13 |
| 16 | Head-to-Head Draws | 16 |
| 40 | Goals For (Regular Season and Playoffs) | 38 |
| 30 | Goal Against (Regular Season and Playoffs) | 29 |
| 6th | Regular Season Place | 8th |
Monterrey have also been battling on two competitive fronts recently after also taking in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten 2-1 in the semifinal by eventual winners Liverpool.
They are the holders of the CONCACAF Champions title but won the last of their four Apertura titles as long ago as 2010.
America won the Apertura in 2014 and in 2018.
Sixth-Seed vs Eighth-Seed
After the finish of the Apertura regular season, America were seeded sixth in the eight-team knockout section. Monterrey were seeded eighth.
In a surprise development, the leading four seeds all exited at the first knock-out stage.
No sixth-seeded team has ever won a Liga MX title.
But America showed their fighting spirit in both the quarterfinals and semi-finals of the Apertura Linguilla.
First they pulled off a shock defeat of Tigres UANL at the last eight stage.
After losing 2-1 at home in the opening game, they recovered to claim a stunning 4-2 victory away from home in the second leg for a 5-4 aggregate win.
This booked America’s place in the final because they had been seeded one place higher than their semi-final opponents after the finish of the regular season.
Then, after losing the semi-final first leg 2-0 away from home against seventh-seeded Morelia, America won 2-0 in the return fixture.
Let's fight for the last comeback.
T O G E T H E R 🦅 pic.twitter.com/iNbwkC1XMt
— Club América EN (@ClubAmerica_EN) December 27, 2019
This booked America’s place in the final because they had been seeded one place higher than their semi-final opponents after the finish of the regular season.
Mexico’s Liga MX competition is split into two sections which are contested each year – the Clausura which begins in January and the Apertura which starts in July.
The eight highest-placed teams in the table for each competition advance to a knockout tournament with seeded teams meeting over two legs.
Shock Win Against Santos Laguna
Monterrey also caused a major shock when they eliminated first seed Santos Laguna in the opening knockout round of the current Apertura.
🎙| @MiguelHerreraDT: "We missed a result that could have been much better. Now, we have to go out to win and we will go out to win". pic.twitter.com/5vO2Jdhtgf
— Club América EN (@ClubAmerica_EN) December 27, 2019
They won the first leg at home 5-2 then secured a 1-1 draw away from home.
They then overcame Necaxa who were originally seeded fifth with a 2-1 home victory followed by a 1-0 away win.
Pick: Club America (+235)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
