The Liga MX playoff quarterfinals kick off with Club Leonwelcoming Cruz Azul to Estadio Leon, a rematch of their April 15 clash, which saw La Máquina come away with a 2-1 win on home soil.
León came out flying early in the campaign, powered by the marquee arrival of former Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez, and even sat atop the standings in the first half of the season. But ever since whispers of their potential disqualification from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup turned into breaking news, their form has fallen off a cliff.
Eduardo Berizzo's men limped to the finish line, picking up just one win in their last seven matches. It was a far cry from their blistering 8-win start, though they still clung to a direct playoff spot, just barely.
Meanwhile, Cruz Azul are riding a wave of momentum. With a 16-match unbeaten streak in the books and a ticket punched to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final, they enter the postseason as one of the most in-form sides in the league.
And that's despite a turbulent start, losing Martin Anselmi, the architect of their record-breaking campaign, just before the season began. In stepped Vicente Sanchez, a managerial rookie, and expectations weren't exactly sky-high. But Sánchez has steadied the ship and unlocked the squad’s potential. Now, with one of the deepest rosters in North America, La Máquina are once again a serious contender for the crown.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
How to watch Leon vs Cruz Azul online - TV channels & live streams
 | ViX | Watch here |
The match will be shown live on ViX in the US. Live updates can be found here on GOAL.
How to watch anywhere with VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Leon vs Cruz Azul kick-off time
The match will be played at the Estadio Leon in Leon, Mexico, on Wednesday, May 7, with kick-off at 4:00 pm ET for fans in the US.
Team news & squads
Leon vs Cruz Azul lineups
4-2-3-1
Formation
3-5-1-1
CRULEO-Line up
LEOSubstitutes
Manager
E. Berizzo
CRU-Line up
CRUSubstitutes
Manager
V. Sanchez
Injuries and Suspended players
Injuries and Suspensions
- No sidelined players
Injuries and Suspensions
- No sidelined players
Leon team news
Eduardo Berizzo's Leon side heads into the Liguilla in less-than-ideal form, stumbling through the finish line with just one win in their last seven outings. Their regular season wrapped up with a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Monterrey on Matchday 17, a result that summed up their late-season slump.
If Leon hopes to knock off red-hot Cruz Azul, they'll need Jhonder Cadiz to snap out of his scoring funk. The Venezuelan forward led the team with seven goals in 17 appearances but hasn't found the net in four straight matches. His spark up top could be the key to reigniting Leon's faltering attack.
One bright spot has been James Rodriguez, who has adapted well in his debut Liga MX campaign. The Colombian playmaker racked up six assists over 16 matches and donned the captain's armband 14 times, offering leadership and creative flair that could prove crucial in the knockout stages.
Cruz Azul team news
Vicente Sánchez has his Cruz Azul squad firing on all cylinders. La Maquina are undefeated in 16 straight across all competitions and closed the regular season with a solid 2-2 draw away to Toluca. The sky-blue machine looks primed for a title run.
Midfield workhorse Ignacio Rivero has chipped in with five goals this season, making the most of just over 1,000 minutes. Though he hasn’t scored since March 29, the veteran remains a key cog in Cruz Azul's engine room, with 167 appearances and 20 goals since arriving in 2021.
Another name to watch is Georgios Giakoumakis, the Greek striker brought in with high hopes from Atlanta United. After a productive Apertura, his Clausura form took a dip, tallying only two goals and three assists in limited minutes due to injury. He missed three of the final six games but could be an X-factor if he rediscovers his scoring boots in the postseason push.
Form
LEO-Form
LEOLeon
0
-
2
Monterrey
L
Cruz Azul
2
-
1
Leon
L
Leon
1
-
0
Puebla
W
Queretaro FC
1
-
1
Leon
D
Leon
1
-
2
Club Universidad Nacional
L
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 4/7
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 2/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
CRU-Form
CRU- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 6/4
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 2/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
Head-to-Head Record
LEOLast 5 matches
CRU0
Wins
1
Draw
4
Wins
Goals scored
8- Games over 2.5 goals
- 3/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5