Two Liga MX teams who have enjoyed a good amount of success over the past few years will meet in the Leagues Cup Round of 32. Club Pachuca, the current CONCACAF champions, and Club Tigres de la UANL, the Clausura 2023 champions, will face off at Austin’s Q2 Stadium. If Tigres’ game vs. Inter Miami in Houston is any indication, expect the Q2 to become another “Volcán del Norte.”
“It is very important to us to create the same atmosphere we had in Houston.” Tigres coach Veljko Paunović said pre-match. “We hope that our fans will cheer us on and create the same atmosphere we enjoy at home. That can help us fulfill our objective of advancing to the next round.” He stated.
Tigres won both their matches in Leagues Cup group play in dramatic fashion. Against Puebla, Diego Reyes headed in a winner in the 85th minute for the 2-1 victory.
A few days later against Miami, it was Juan Pablo Vigón’s turn to be the hero as he scored in the 84th minute for another 2-1 win.
The Monterrey-based side has one of the most impressive rosters in the Leagues Cup, with the likes of André-Pierre Gignac, Nico Ibañez, and Juan Brunetta. They also rely on one of the rising stars of Liga MX, Marcelo Flores. He assisted on the match-winner against Puebla.
While Tigres are on a four-match heater, the same cannot be said for Pachuca. They managed to eek into the knockout stage by defeating New York Red Bulls in penalties before succumbing to Toronto 2-1 in their second group game. Combine that with the sluggish start to the Liga MX season, and Pachuca have only one victory out of their last 5. Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada was very straightforward about Pachuca’s plans. “Play better. It is as simple as that.” He declared at the pre-match press conference. “We have to play better and we have to play better than our opponents.” He added.
One player Pachuca hopes to get going is striker Salomón Rondón. The Venezuelan international has one of Pachuca’s 2 goals in the Leagues Cup.
Rondón came up big for Pachuca in a tournament earlier this year. He was the leading scorer CONCACAF Champions Cup with nine goals and his brace was the difference in the final win over Columbus.
While Tigres have gotten better results as of late, the last 35 meetings between the two clubs have yielded twelve wins apiece and 11 draws.
