The biggest heavyweight clash of the 2024 Leagues Cup so far will take place on Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston as Tigres battle Inter Miami for first place in the East 3 group.
Both sides were victorious in their opening match of this tournament, assuring themselves passage into the knockout stage, with the reigning champions dispatching Puebla 2-0, while Los Tigres scored with just a few minutes remaining, defeating Puebla 2-1.
Match preview
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They left it late, but ultimately, it was a deserved three points for the eight-time Liga MX champions, who extended their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions.
Tigres are now a perfect 3-0 in group play at the Leagues Cup, winning all three of those contests by just a single goal.
In their three group games played at this tournament, the club from Nueva Leon have never conceded a single goal in the second half.
Their opening victory ensures they will make the knockout portion of this tournament, while they have won their last three competitive games as the home team.
Under Veljko Paunovic, this side have never lost a match of any sort this year when finding the back of the net on multiple occasions.
In five Leagues Cup matches against MLS opponents, La U de Nuevo Leon have only suffered one defeat, 3-0 to the Seattle Sounders in the 2021 quarter-finals.
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Miami began their title defence with a solid opening victory last Saturday, their third successive triumph across all competitions.
Like Tigres, the Herons have a 100% record in the group phase of this tournament, conceding just once in those three fixtures.
Tata Martino's men have netted multiple times in all but one of their Leagues Cup affairs, failing to do so in the final last year versus Nashville SC (1-1) but still winning that match on penalties.
The Herons lost their only previous game played in Houston last year against the Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium, with their only victory in Texas coming during the 2023 Leagues Cup round of 16 on penalties against Dallas.
Four of their last five matches played outside Chase Stadium ended in a 2-1 victory for Miami, though they suffered an ugly 6-1 defeat as the visitors in that other game versus FC Cincinnati.
Their only two Leagues Cup contests versus Mexican opposition ended in a triumph for the Herons, though they have lost their last two matches played against Liga MX sides, losing both legs of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final tie with Monterrey.
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Team News
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In their midweek victory over Puebla, Tigres were once again without David Ayala, as the 24-year-old is still nursing a knee injury.
From matchday four of their Liga MX campaign to their opening Leagues Cup clash, there were three newcomers in their starting 11, including Jesus Angulo, Ozziel Herrera and Nicolas Ibanez.
Sebastian Cordova gave them the lead after two minutes against Puebla, while Diego Reyes scored five minutes from the end, securing the three points.
Given that they are already through to the knockout stage, it seems highly unlikely we will see Lionel Messi feature for Miami on Saturday as he is recovering from an ankle injury, Serhiy Kryvtsov is dealing with a minor knock, while Nicolas Freire and Facundo Farias have ACL issues.
Neither Diego Gomez nor Benjamin Cremaschi will be available since Paraguay and the USA advanced out of the group stage at the Olympics.
Matias Rojas gave them an early advantage against Puebla, scoring in the ninth minute, with Luis Suarez putting the match to bed with a 72nd-minute strike.
Tigres possible starting lineup:
Guzman; Garza, Pizarro, Reyes, Angulo; Cordova, Gorriaran, Brunetta, Quinones; Ibanez, Gignac
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Dos Santos; Weigandt, Allen, Fray, Negri; Ruiz, Bright, Rojas; Gressel, Suarez, Campana
We say: Tigres 1-1 Inter Miami (Tigres wins on penalties)
The top priority for the Herons will be to stay healthy, while we believe that Tigres are hungry to make a statement and win the group, so we project a Mexican victory by the thinnest of margins.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
