Monterrey vs Cruz Azul Odds & Prediction – CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals Leg 1

• CF Monterrey home favorites as they face Cruz Azul in first leg of CONCACAF Champions League semifinal
• Monterrey are undefeated in tournament play since 2019, while Cruz Azul aims to extend recent success on the road
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup at Estadio BBVA

CF Monterrey will be aiming to extend an undefeated streak in CONCACAF Champions League play that dates back over two years when they kick off their semifinal clash with Cruz Azul on Wednesday as +115 betting favorites.

Monterrey have gone unbeaten in eight straight tournament outings, a run that includes their march to the Champions League title in 2019. However, they can expect to face a stiff challenge from Cruz Azul, who ride a dominating four-match unbeaten streak in tournament play into Wednesday night’s matchup as attractive +230 road underdogs.

Here’s a look at all the odds and trends ahead of this the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal first leg matchup at Estadio BBVA on Wednesday night at 10:00 pm ET.

Monterrey vs Cruz Azul Champions League Odds

Odds as of August 11 at DraftKings

Monterrey on a Champions League Roll

Monterrey have picked up where they left off in their last Champions League appearance two years ago. The Rayados have leveraged impressive play on home turf to advance to the semifinals, following up a 3-1 second-leg victory over Atlético Pantoja in the round of 16 with a 3-0 rout of the Columbus Crew in their recent quarterfinal contest.

Monterrey 3-0 Columbus Crew (5-2 agg)

Maxi Meza (⚽⚽) e um golaço de falta de Layún decretaram a vitória dos Rayados, que seguem firme na Concachampionspic.twitter.com/sjPSV0FZao

— dânio (@danielps10) May 6, 2021

Overall, Monterrey have racked up a solid 6-1-0 win-draw-loss record in their past seven Champions League home dates, outgunning opponents by a wide 19-2 margin over that stretch. The club has also consistently picked up points when facing Cruz Azul at home, going 4-5-1 in 10 meetings since 2013.

Stingy Defense Key to Success

The Rayados’ stretch of success also extends to recent outings across all competitions. The club is currently on a steady 6-5-1 overall run, and have been dominant at home since enduring a slump in Liga MX play late last season, going 5-2-0 in their past seven home dates, and keeping clean sheets in each of those victories.

Here they are! 😍

The @ScotiabankFC best XI of the #GoldCup21! 🏆 Congratulations to everyone! 👏

Este es el @ScotiabankFC XI ideal de la #CopaOro21! 🏆 ¡Felicitaciones a todos! 👏

ENG 👉 https://t.co/Sq8CGxTeWF

ESP 👉 https://t.co/YagWQpygKY pic.twitter.com/EMFBhexrvd

— Concacaf (@Concacaf) August 3, 2021

Monterrey should benefit from the recent return to Rogelio Funes Mori to the lineup. The club’s leading goalscorer last season, Funes Mori is coming off a solid performance for Mexico at the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup, powering El Tri to a berth in the final with three markers, and earning Best XI honors. He also tallied the match-winner in Monterrey’s 1-0 win over Cruz Azul in league play last October.

Monterrey vs Cruz Azul Head-to-Head Stats

La Maquina Making the Best of Champions League Opportunity

While Monterrey set their sights on a trip to the Champions League final for the second time in three years, Cruz Azul is making the best of their first tournament appearance since last lifting the trophy seven years ago. La Maquina punched their ticket to the semis with a dominating performance against Toronto FC, disposing of the Reds by a 4-1 aggregate score.

⚡️ 7 seconds after Jesus Corona cleared the ball inside his area, Bryan Angulo had it in the Toronto FC net to power @CruzAzul into @TheChampions semi-finals 🤩

🏆 It's got 'Cuco' dreaming of the #Puskas Award and 'La Máquina' dreaming of the #ClubWC 🌎pic.twitter.com/3x8w1y02cN

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) May 5, 2021

Offense has not been a problem for Cruz Azul at this tournament. The club has outscored opponents by a wide 19-3 margin while going 5-1-1. However, they have managed to earn the win in just two of their five tournament contests on the road.

Cruz Azul Emerge as Road Warriors

Further complicating matters for Cruz Azul is their recent uneven performance in league play. The club needed a late goal to escape with a narrow 2-1 road win over last-place Necaxa in their most recent outing, which also marked their lone victory over their past three contests.

Por la tercera fecha del Apertura mexicano, Cruz Azul venció como visitante al Necaxa por 2-1. Yoshimar Yotún ingresó en el inicio del segundo tiempo. El equipo de Juan Reynoso marcha noveno con 4 puntos. 🇵🇪⚽ pic.twitter.com/UhmlAstCMj

— Richard De La Piedra (@crdelapiedra) August 7, 2021

Despite those struggles, it is tough to overlook La Maquina’s recent dominating performance on the road. Cruz Azul have suffered just one loss in 17 away contests across all competitions since early January and surrendered more than a single goal on just one occasion over that stretch. However, they have been held off the scoresheet in three of their past road dates with Monterrey.

The Picks: Draw (+255); UNDER 2.5 (-160)