Following a loss to Inter Miami CF at Chase Stadium last Saturday night, Club Puebla sets their sights on the Tigres UNAL in their final match of the 2024 Leagues Cup East 3 group stage on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET at Shell Energy Stadium.
Los Camoteros will need Kevin Velasco to step up and put his chances away in this do-or-die game for Puebla. On the other side of the pitch, Tigres look to start their Leagues Cup campaign and will play against Miami after Puebla.
Tigres secured a comfortable victory in their last LIGA MX match, beating Santos Laguna, 3-0. Tigres superstar André-Pierre Gignac found the back of the net in this match and is poised to be a favorite for Leagues Cup’s Best Player award.
Puebla comes into this match with one win, one tie and three losses in theri last five matches.
Tigres is having a better season so far with three wins, one tie and zero losses in their last four matches.
The last time these two teams faced off was on March 30, when Tigres emerged victorious with a 3-2 win. During this LIGA MX season, both sides were relatively close in terms of point totals; Puebla ended their campaign with 20 points, while Tigres had just five more, finishing with 25 points.
Puebla and Tigres have faced each other 59 times in their history. Tigres has won 25 of these encounters, while Puebla has emerged victorious 17 times. The remaining 17 matches have ended in a draw.
Puebla needs a victory before penalties against Tigres to surpass their group stage performance from last year — being eliminated before the knockout stages.
Tigres made it to the Round of 16 last season, but was ultimately knocked out by their cross-town rivals CF Monterrey.
“Leagues Cup is another opportunity for us to continue to improve and find the best version of ourselves,” said Tigres coach Veljko Paunović,. “We think this game against Puebla is a very important step to forge a mentality from which we want to approach the rest of the games.”
As Tigres begin their Leagues Cup campaign, they may have to do so without one of the key pillars of their defense. Nahuel Guzmán, the legendary goalkeeper known for his antics during penalties in LIGA MX and last year’s Leagues Cup, is questionable for the match. Paunović told media that he hopes the Argentine will be available.
With MLS taking a dominant lead in head-to-head matchups against LIGA MX, boasting a 10-2 record so far, many fans are excited to see one of the Mexican giants finally enter the tournament, starting against Puebla.
