León vs Tigres UANL Odds & Prediction – Liga MX Apertura Semifinals Leg 2

• Reigning Apertura champion Leon hosts Tigres at 10pm ET on Saturday
• Tigres holds a 2-1 lead after a stunning late double strike in the first leg in Monterrey
• See all odds, & best bets for León vs Tigres UANL – Liga MX Apertura Semifinals Leg 2

Tigres UANL will take a slender one-goal lead to Club Leon in Mexico’s Liga MX Apertura semifinal second-leg after a dramatic late win the first time around.

Leon led from the 56th minute at the Tigres’ HQ in Monterrey last Wednesday.

However, the home team scored in the 89th minute and again four minutes into added time to snatch a sensational win from the brink of defeat.

Club Leon vs Tigres UANL Odds

Odds as of December 3 at DraftKings

Now Leon’s chances of retaining the Apertura title it won this time last year are on a knife-edge.

Nevertheless, the oddsmakers at DraftKings make Leon the favorite for success in the second meeting at +115.

Meanwhile, Tigres is priced much wider at +245. The draw after 90 minutes, furthermore, is at +220.

Certainly, those odds are very surprising given that Leon has not defeated Tigres in the last 12 meetings.

Momentum With Tigres

Tigres will also undeniably believe it holds the momentum in the tie after the shattering late blows it inflicted at the end of the opening game.

This could swing the balance and Tigres has proven in the first leg that it has the hunger to get what it wants. So an away win is the best option here.

READY TO TAKE THE FIGHT BACK HOME!!!
🔥😤💪🏼💚#OurPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/VIddZ6U54R

— Club Leon EN (@clubleon_en) December 2, 2021

Additionally, Tigres is regarded as the powerhouse of Mexican football following its triumph in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League.

That is the view held generally, despite the fact that Tigres’ last league success was in the 2019 Clausura tournament.

The Liga MX Apertura section is contested each season before Christmas. Then, subsequently, the Clausura takes place in the second half of the season beginning in January.

Thrilling match in "El Volcán" last night ended with León trudging off the pitch and gleeful chants of "ti-gue-res" echoing around the stadium.#LigaMXeng #LaFiera #Esmeraldas #TigresVsLeon https://t.co/pfYvbjAfnv

— Thomas M. Buckley (@TomBuckley519) December 2, 2021

In the semi-final first leg, Tigres began as the favorite.

Chilean forward Jean Meneses, however, gave Leon the lead after 56 minutes.

But French forward Florian Thauvin claimed a dramatic equalizer for Tigres with just one minute of normal time remaining.

There were no fewer than 30 first-leg goal attempts from Tigres

Then, subsequently, Paraguayan substitute Carlos Gonzalez scored the winner for the Monterrey-based outfit four minutes into the added period at the end.

Significantly, this was a true reflection of the pattern of the first-leg contest.

There were no fewer than 30 goal attempts from the attack-minded Tigres side. Leon, comparatively, managed just eight chances.

Additionally, Tigres dominated possession with a total of 62% of the ball compared with 38% for Leon.

Furthermore, Tigres had 12 corners while Leon had none.

And Tigres was officially credited with 135 dangerous attacks. Meanwhile, Leon had just 30.

Club Leon vs Tigres UANL Statistics

*Stats from Apertura knock-out stage.

These figures also reflect the fact Leon likes to play a careful, counter-attacking game.

Comparatively, Tigres is an altogether more explosive side – as its two late first-leg goals illustrate.

Leon May Be Patient

Therefore, Leon may be willing to show patience in the second game and look to seize quick openings.

Certainly, it must chase at least one goal. But it has the knowledge that a 1-0 victory will be enough as it would advance to the final thanks to the Liga MX seeding system,

MLS-Liga MX partnership is working, but head-to-head shows there's still a gulf – ESPN As MLS and Liga MX grow closer together, an all-Mexican CONCACAF Champions League final suggests U.S. and Canadian soccer have a long way to go. https://t.co/77MZNh9NjD

— Renato Sosua ⚽🇨🇦 🇫🇷 🇺🇸 🇪🇸 (@RenatoSosua) October 28, 2021

Under these rules, the higher-seeded side goes through in the event of an aggregate draw.

This seeding system is based upon finishing places in the regular-season standings.

Leon will take heart from its comeback win in the quarter-final against Puebla.

A third-place finish for Leon placed them above fourth-placed Tigres and this could now prove critical in the shake-down.

Notwithstanding the first leg defeat, Leon will take heart from its comeback win in the quarter-final.

Following a 2-1 defeat by Puebla, it won 2-0 at home to advance to the last four.

Tigres, meanwhile, progressed from the last eight thanks to the seeding system.

It won 1-0 in its second leg against Santos Laguna following a 2-1 first-leg defeat.

There were draws in the last four collisions between these semi-final rivals at the home of Leon.

Another draw would send Leon to the final to defend its title against the winner of the other last-four clash between Atlas and Pumas UNAM.

Lopez Yet To Score In Knockout Stage

Uruguayan Nicolas Lopez was the leading scorer for Tigres in the regular season. However, he has yet to score in the knockout phase.

The same is true for Leon’s leading regular-season marksman Victor Davila, who hit six goals before the knockout stage.

In conclusion, Tigres scents the prize of a place in the final and should make its attacking prowess count to win again.

Pick: Tigres (+245)