Liga MX Femenil Final match preview: Guadalajara vs. Tigres UANL

Game: Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V. Femenil vs. Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Femenil

Date: Monday, May 24th

Time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 9:00 p.m. Central, 7:00 p.m. Pacific, 2:00 a.m. UTC

Venue: Estadio Akron (Zapopan, Jal.)

Referees: REF: Lizzet Amairany García Olvera, AR1: Karla Angélica Flores Ortega, AR2: Elva Gutiérrez Martínez, 4TH: Salvador Pérez Villalobos, Asesor: Jesus Constantino Campos Licona

Television: United States - UNIVERSO; Mexico - FOX Sports 2,; Belize - FOX Sports 2; Costa Rica - FOX Sports 2; Dominican Republic - FOX Sports 2; El Salvador - FOX Sports 2; Guatemala - FOX Sports 2; Honduras - FOX Sports 2; Nicaragua - FOX Sports 2; Panama - FOX Sports 2; Venezuela - FOX Sports 2

Streaming: fuboTV (Subscription), Sling TV (Subscription), TUDN En Vivo, CHIVAS TV, Telemundo Deportes

All-time record: The teams have met 13 times before, with Tigres winning seven to Chivas’ four and the clubs splitting the points in two draws. The teams have met in the Liguilla before, back in the 2018 Apertura Semifinal round where Tigres beat Chivas 5-3 on aggregate before losing to América on penalties in the Final. When the teams faced off earlier this season, Tigres won a 4-3 thriller in Guadalajara.

Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images

The first round of the Liga MX Femenil Final will pit a historical power against one whose path was much less predictable. Tigres is the perennial favorites to win the league, and with good reason. They’ve never missed the playoffs and have missed only one final, earning three championships in five finals appearances. Chivas on the other hand won the one tournament where Tigres failed to make the Final, and were largely written off after an exodus of players at the end of last season.

Tigres is perhaps best known for its offensive prowess, boasting a front three of left wing Jackie Ovalle, right wing Belén Cruz, and forward Stephany Mayor, who combined for 19 goals on the season. Cruz platoons with Katty Martínez, who has seven goals on the season, and Blanca Solís and María Sánchez both have three goals each. Tigres however had the best defense in the league this past season, conceding only 12 goals over the 17 games. They had eleven shutouts during the regular season and two more in the Liguilla

Photo by Alejandro Rodriguez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Tigres didn’t have the best offense in the league however. That honor went to Chivas, who scored 44 goals during the regular season. Licha Cervantes finished second in the goalscoring race with 17, one behind Atlas’ Alison González for the league lead. Joseline Montoya also contributed eight goals while ex-Tigres midfielder Carolina Jaramillo added five.

Chivas have the ability to score on anyone, and may look to make this a high-scoring shootout against Tigres. No one else scored three goals against Tigres this season, and that was with Licha Cervantes being limited to just 60 minutes to rest her for the Liguilla. They might look to test goalkeeper Ofelia Solís, forcing her to be the difference in the series.

Tigres on the other hand will most likely play the disciplined counterattacking soccer they’ve become known for. They’ll look to distribute the ball out to Ovalle and Cruz or Martínez, where the wingers will make runs in on goal either looking for a shot or an opening to feed the ball to the versatile Mayor in front of goal. Blanca Félix and the defense will have their work cut out for them against Tigres, so they’ll be extra mindful to have defensive midfielder Victoria Acevedo dropping back into space to help out. All in all it should be an entertaining series between two very good and very different teams.