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All of Monterrey's brilliant 2016 Clausura regular season lies in the balance as they host Club America in the second leg of their Liguilla semifinal clash. After a 1-0 win at the Estadio Azteca, it may all come together in glorious fashion for Las Aguilas on Saturday.
As the last two games in this playoffs have shown, Las Aguilas relish these type of games. Ignacio Ambriz, like many of his predecessors, struggled early to find the right approach to this team, but after CONCACAF Champions League glory, Ambriz seems to have found the formula to success.
This has been so much more than consecutive victories over Chivas and Monterrey. It is about the completeness of this team and their collective dominance. Their center backs have been rock solid, and their midfield has linked everything together throughout. This is a team that knows how to win games.
Indeed, while we can be fairly sure of the type of team Club America are, the biggest uncertainty of this game lies in Monterrey. Will we see a Monterrey from the start looking for an early goal or will they bet on balance to get the result they need.
The bottom line is both teams are three games away from lifting the trophy. At the end. one team will watch on, and the other will be that much closer to the ultimate prize.
Match date/time: Saturday 9:30pm EST, 8:30pm local
Venue: Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Monterrey, Mexico
TV: Univision Deportes Network
Streaming: Univision Deportes En Vivo and fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription)