2019 Apertura Liguilla match preview: Santos Laguna vs. Monterrey

Game: Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. vs. Club de Fútbol Monterrey

Date: Sunday, December 1st

Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 12:00 a.m. UTC

Venue: Estadio TSM Corona (Torreón, Coah.)

Referees: REF: Luis Enrique Santander Aguirre, AR1: Michel Alejandro Morales Morales, AR2: Eduardo Acosta Orea, 4TH: Adonai Escobedo González

Television: United States - Fox Sports 2, FOX Deportes Network, Fox Sports San Diego, Fox Sports Arizona; Mexico - Fox Sports 2 Cono Norte

Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Sling TV (Free trial + monthly subscription), FOX Sports GO, FOXSports.com

All-time record: Monterrey holds the all time edge, winning 31 to Santos’ 25 while the teams have drawn 24 times. In Liga MX play, Monterrey holds the 27 to 22 advantage with 23 draws. In the playoffs, Monterrey won their fourth (and last) championship 5-3 on aggregate in the 2010 Apertura. Santos won their fourth (but not their last) championship 3-2 on aggregate in the 2012 Clausura. They also met in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 Apertura, with Monterrey winning that 3-0 on aggregate.

The clubs have also met in the Copa MX, with Santos winning twice to Monterrey’s once as well as in Concacaf Champions League twice with Monterrey winning both the 2011-12 Final 3-2 on aggregate and the 2012-13 Final on 4-2 aggregate. The last time the clubs met at TSM, Santos won 2-1 back on August 23.

Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Santos Laguna will look to put a poor defensive showing behind them when they host Monterrey in the second leg of the quarterfinal round. Santos gave up five goals and have their backs up against the wall.

It might not be all that it seems however. Santos was able to get two away goals, which is the first tiebreaker; the second tiebreaker is table position which they also hold.

Santos also hasn’t lost in their building since March and had the league’s leading regular-season offense, scoring 40 goals in 18 games. This is a team that is absolutely capable of getting three goals.

Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images

In their way is a Monterrey team that manhandled them at Estadio BBVA Bancomer on Thursday night. The last team to put up five goals on Santos was none other than Monterrey, who did it all the way back on September 21, 2016.

Manager Antonio ‘Turco’ Mohamed has done no wrong since retaking the helm of Rayados. They’re playing with confidence and haven’t lost, going from dead and buried and into the Liguilla where they’re 90 minutes from downing one of the most dominant regular-season teams we’ve seen in quite some time.

Monterrey has a tall task ahead however. Santos were able to create chances against them, and if their finishing had been crisper it would certainly have been a much different score line.