Philadelphia vs Atlanta & Cruz Azul vs Toronto Odds & Prediction – CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 2

• Philadelphia Union holds a 3-0 lead over Atlanta United going into Tuesday’s second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal
• Toronto FC faces an uphill task against Mexican league leader Cruz Azul at the Azteca Stadium, having lost 3-1 at home in the first leg of their quarterfinal
• Read on for betting odds, a full preview and best bets for the first two of the four CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals this week

Atlanta United must overcome the weight of history, as well as a resolute Philadelphia Union, if it is to stave off elimination and advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in its history.

Only three clubs in the last 21 years have overturned a three-goal deficit following a first leg to advance in this tournament, and the only one to accomplish the task from Major League Soccer was the Chicago Fire, way back in 2004. So the ball is very firmly in Philly’s court following its 3-0 first-leg victory in Atlanta when their match kicks off at 8:00 pm EST on Tuesday, May 4th.

Toronto FC meanwhile, will have to score at least three goals in Mexico City to stand any chance of advancing against Cruz Azul, the Mexican league leader which is unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions. The two teams kick off at 10:15 pm EST.

Philadelphia Union vs Atlanta United Odds

Odds as of May 3 at DraftKings

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Atlanta In Tough

If last week’s shutout loss at home against Philadelphia wasn’t bad enough – the first home loss Atlanta had ever had in the Champions League – things didn’t get any better for Gabriel Heinze’s side last weekend. It lost 2-1 in New England against the Revolution, and to make matters worse, playmaker Ezequiel Barco had to leave the field near the end of the game with a muscle injury and will miss Tuesday’s game.

His absence will add to a depleted lineup that also includes winger Jurgen Damm, while Lisandro Lopez will also miss the contest due to personal reasons.

With last week’s defeat, Atlanta now has an all-time record of 6-4-1 in the Champions League, although it is only 1-3-1 away from home. On the plus side, out of the eight times it has faced Philadelphia in all competitions, Atlanta has four wins, versus two losses and two draws, and is an even-split 1-1-1 in games played in Philly.

Atlanta United's official injury designations for tomorrow are…
Adams: Out-Sports Hernia
Kann: Out-Shoulder
Chol: Out-Lower Body
Barco: Out-Lower Body
Damm: Out-Lower Body
L. Lopez: Questionable-Personal

— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) May 3, 2021

And while Heinze’s team will need to score at least three goals to have any chance of advancing, he can take some small comfort in the knowledge that Atlanta has done that 38 times in all competitions since the team came into being before the 2017 season.

Union In Control

Though Jim Curtin’s team is sitting very firmly in the cat-bird seat, he will likely point to the three teams that have overturned a three-goal deficit in this competition in the last 21 years. The Union could have done with a better warmup for one of the most important games in franchise history, but Philly could only muster a 2-0 home loss against New York City FC, in a game highly swayed by the sending off of Jose Martinez in the 16th minute. Martinez will miss Tuesday’s game owing to yellow-card accumulation.

Philadelphia inflicts the biggest home defeat in Atlanta United's history 👀 pic.twitter.com/xIWQ3cCsxT

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 28, 2021

But Philadelphia built last season’s Supporters’ Shield success on dominant defense, conceding just 20 goals in 23 games, although it then had center-backs like Mark McKenzie to call upon. Still, Philadelphia has conceded three of more goals in just 22 MLS matches all-time, with the most recent occurrence taking place almost two years ago, on May 25, 2019, when it lost 3-1 at home to Portland.

Pick: Draw (+245)

Cruz Azul vs Toronto FC Odds

TFC In Need of a Miracle

Stealing a win in Azteca Stadium is not something that happens to many MLS teams. In fact, the record for MLS teams needing to win in Mexico is stark – no MLS team has ever advanced needing a win or a tie in the second league since this format of the Champions League began in 2008-09. In over 20 series, just three clinched a series on Mexican soil, and all three had won their first legs.

However, for a team in need of a silver lining – which TFC clearly is – Toronto FC were  involved in two of those three series, beating Tigres on away goals in the 2018 quarterfinal, and edging past Club America in the semifinal following a 1-1 draw. In fact, of the five MLS clubs to lose their first legs to Mexican teams at home, the return fixtures produced one win, one draw and three losses. None of the clubs managed to advance.

Toronto FC had no MLS game this past weekend and continues to miss MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo, while newly arrived DP Yeferson Soteldo is still in quarantine. The lone bright spots on the horizon are that fullback Richie Laryea returns from suspension, and center-back Chris Mavinga is fit to play his first game of the season.

Cruz Control

While TFC is facing an uphill battle, Cruz Azul has continued to lead the way in Mexico’s Liga MX. Los Cementeros were held 1-1 by 14th-placed Tijuana on the weekend, but still has a three-point lead over Club America at the top of the Mexican league, and is unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions.

Pick: Over 2.5 (-124)

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