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Game: Cruz Azul vs. Club América
Date: Saturday, October 14th
Time: 6:00 P.M. Eastern, 5:00 P.M. Central, 3:00 P.M. Pacific, 10:00 P.M. UTC
Venue: Estadio Azul (Ciudad de México)
Television: Univision Deportes Network (USA), TDN (México)
Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription)
Club América make the short trip across town to to take on rivals Cruz Azul in El Clásico Joven. The always exciting rivalry match comes on the heels of an incredibly dramatic international break that resulted in the Netherlands, Chile, and the United States all missing the Word Cup.
Both squads come into the match with high spirits following positive results before the international break with Cruz Azul tying first place Monterrey 1-1 at Estadio BBVA in and Club América beating Toluca 2-1 also on the road. However, Club América will be without the very talented Guido Rodriguez as a result of the midfielder picking up a red card following a brutal foul against former Águila Rubens Sambueza.
Las Águilas will be hoping that Silvio Romero and Mateus Uribe will be able to pick up right where they left off before the international break. Romero and Uribe were clearly the best players on the pitch against Toluca; each scoring a goal in order to secure the victory. Strong performances from Oribe Peralta and Edson Álvarez, both of whom are returning from international duty, will also be necessary if Club América hopes to defeat their cross-town rivals. With a victory over Cruz Azul, las Águilas would overtake Toluca for second place in the table.
Cruz Azul will be looking to defend their home turf from their arch rivals this Saturday. Knowing how these clásicos are played, it would not be surprising at all to see Cruz Azul come out firing on all cylinders from the moment the opening whistle blows. However, in order for them to overcome a vastly more talented Club América side, a nearly perfect performance by the whole team will be required. In particular, national team goalkeeper José de Jesus Corona will need to be on his very best to stop the seemingly endless barrage of shots that he is likely to face on Saturday.
On paper, it would appear as though Club América will easily walk to a win over their cross-town rivals. However, fútbol isn’t played on paper. Expect an extremely high intensity match with both teams giving it their all in order to get the victory. Despite seeming to have a clear on paper advantage, the loss of Guido Pizarro to suspension and William Da Silva still out with a hamstring injury will complicate things greatly for the visiting Águilas. With this in mind, the match could very easily end in a draw.