Monterrey Facing Difficult Stretch With Confidence

If Monterrey play a role in the Apertura 2009 Liguilla, the club will have certainly earned their spot.

Sitting in second place in the challenging Group 2, Monterrey have a murderer's row of opponents staring them down. On Wednesday, the club will play Santos. Then, Monterrey close out the season against America and Morelia.

Thus, it comes as little surprise that the team will play the rest of its game as if they were do-or-die, because in essence they are.

"We are going to play this game as if we were in the playoffs already," midfielder Gerardo Galindo said in a press conference. "More than just to show well against our rival, the team wants to play at a high level and we want to reach the playoffs strong. We played that way last game and we had a great game."

Monterrey destroyed San Luis 3-0 on the road and now return home to play Santos before heading to Mexico City for a match against America at Estadio Azteca.

Los Rayados are hoping to get to the game in at least the same position as they are in Jornada 15. Monterrey havd 26 points, the same as America, and are two back of Morelia. However, the club has only a three-point edge on Puebla and Pachuca. Five points separate five clubs in Group 2, and Monterrey need wins to stave off the clubs from behind and try and capture the group title.

"That's the idea, to win our final games and assert ourselves, look solid," Galindo said. "We've demonstrated that those things are important."

Monterrey still have a chance to win the group title, provided the club can enter the final match of the season within reach of Morelia.

Such a finish is not out of their reach, Galindo said.

"We want to finish as high as possible," he said. "We want to take all the points, starting with the game on Wednesday. We are very tight in the group and that's how it will be until the end. And we can't stop doing the things that we've been doing this season."

Goal.com

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