America welcome Tigres to the Estadio Azteca as they fight to take first place

America host Tigres tonight (7:05 PM PT/9:05 PM CT/10:05 PM ET) as both teams are looking to take the lead at the top of the table. Only one point separates both teams.

Tigres is coming off three consecutive games with a draw. It was a scoreless draw in the Clasico Regio, a last minute equalizer against Pumas, and a scoreless draw against Necaxa. Any of those three games could have ended in a win and it’s slightly disappointing Tigres came up short every time. They have not been able to convert their seemingly endless chances. Especially the game against a struggling Pumas team who were only a few minutes away from winning just their second game of the season had it not been for Gignac.

America is coming off a six game win streak after defeating Mazatlan 1-3. The only goal Mazatlan recorded was in the 11th minute when the ball bounced off Diego Valdes’ shoulder and past Ochoa for an own goal. Valdes made up for the mistake by equalizing the game in the 39th minute. Henry Martin then scored his seventh goal of the season right before the half ended. Sebastian Caceres then sealed the win in the 49th minute and Mazataln could not respond. If it weren’t for Valdes’ own goal, the hosts would’ve been shut out at home.

While America have been on a hot streak, their offense might be taking a hit against Tigres. Henry Martin was originally called-up by Mexico to play the friendly against Paraguay, but had to pull out due to injury. It is not known if he will be healthy enough to play tonight and will most likely be a last minute decision. Does America take the risk of playing their goal-scorer or do they play it safe as the season is winding down and every point matters?

Unless the top six teams implode in the last month of the regular phase, it is going to be a fight for the top four spots. America and Santos are tied at 22 points with goal differential separating the two. Then there’s Pachuca, Tigres, and Toluca all tied at 21 points with goal differential also playing a big factor. There’s also a game in hand between America and Santos that has been rescheduled for September 14th. Including tonight’s game, America have six games left, and dropping any points with the top six teams as tight as they are will make a difference between playing in the Repechaje and securing a Quarter-Finals spot.