The Liga MX final for the Apertura season is set. In typical fashion, the playoffs in Mexico have been wild, fun and unpredictable, leaving the No. 6 and No. 8 seeds left standing. Monterrey and Club America are two of the best teams in Liga MX, so it’s no surprise they are meeting in the final, even if their paths to the big showdown were unconventional.
Monterrey vs. Club America
When: Thursday, December 26
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Rayados of Monterrey are the reigning champions of Concacaf and celebrated that by traveling to Doha for the Club World Cup in between the Liga MX semifinals and final. There, they were heartbroken to lose to eventual winners Liverpool due to a last second goal in second-half stoppage time. Now they must refocus their energy onto this final against Club America.
So far, they’ve breezed through the playoffs, making quick work of top seeded Santos Laguna and then dispatching Necaxa in the semifinals. Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Vincent Janssen has led the way for Monterrey, scoring three goals in four playoff games. Winning the competition would be a nice prize to make up for the team’s devastating exit in the Club World Cup.
For Club America, its path to the final has been a bit more tumultuous. The team squeaked by Pumas in the quarterfinals and then got extremely lucky against Morelia in the semifinals, advancing via the unorthodox tiebreaker of being the higher seed in a 6 vs. 7 matchup.
America has one big injury doubt heading into the final, as Colombian midfielder Nicolás Benedetti is a huge question mark after suffering an injury in the semifinals. He would be a big loss if he were unavailable for any length of time in this final.
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