Club America host Pachuca at the Aztec Stadium in their quarter-final second-leg clash in the 2021 Clausura of Liga MX, hoping to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
Las Águilas were humbled on Friday as Erick Aguirre, Felipe Pardo and Luis Chavez were on target for the Gophers. However, Leonardo Suarez's away goal offered them a lifeline.
Santiago Solari's side can still advance into the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at home. That is the same result by which Pachuca were beaten on their last visit to Mexico City in February.
However, it's going to take a lot more to repeat the trick, as Pachuca have improved since then, winning seven of their nine games. With such a healthy advantage at hand, the visitors will sit back to frustrate Club America.
Club America vs Pachuca Head-To-Head
There have been 48 matches between the sides, with Pachuca getting the better of Club America on 21 occasions and losing to the capital side 16 times.
Before their clash on Wednesday, Las Águilas hadn't lost to Pachuca in seven games. Meanwhile, their last meeting in Mexico City was a 2-0 victory for America.
Club America Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-W-W-L
Pachuca Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
Club America vs Pachuca Team News
Club America
Pedro Aquino was sent off in the first-leg and will hence be suspended, while Sebastian Cordova and Nicolas Castillo are injured.
In a bid to fire up his side, head coach Solari might also start Roger Martinez upfront alongside top-scorer Henry Martin. Santiago Naveda might join up with Richard Sanchez in the middle to fill in for Aquino.
Injured: Sebastian Cordova and Nicolas Castillo
Suspended: Pedro Aquino
Unavailable: None
Pachuca
Luckily for Paulo Pezzolano, he's got a clean bill of health ahead of the deciding leg and may opt to field the same lineup that thumped Club America in midweek.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Club America vs Pachuca Predicted XI
Club America (4-4-2): Guillermo Ochoa; Jorge Sanchez, Sebastian Caceres, Emanuel Aguilera, Luis Fuentes; Leonardo Suarez, Richard Sanchez, Santiago Naveda, Alvaro Fidalgo; Henry Martin, Roger Martinez.
Pachuca (4-2-3-1): Oscar Ustari; Kevin Alvarez, Gustavo Cabral, Oscar Murillo, Erick Aguirre; Luis Chavez, Erick Sanchez; Felipe Pardo, Ismael Sosa, Antonio Figueroa; Roberto de la Rosa.
Club America vs Pachuca Prediction
Club America have the might to secure a victory here, but their recent form has been patchy and Pachuca might do just enough to advance into the next round.
Prediction: Club America 2-1 Pachuca