All eyes are on La Sultana del Norte this weekend with former Mexico manager Miguel Herrera taking his Club America side north to face current Mexico interim Tuca Ferretti and Tigres.
Herrera's side sits second, but after Copa MX elimination and a draw with rival Chivas last week, the demanding fans of Mexico's most successful club are hoping for more.
Ferretti is dealing with his own midweek Copa MX exit, and he knows the seventh-place Tigres don't have much of a cushion with six matches remaining before the field is set for the eight-team Liguilla.
| Game | Tigres vs. Club America |
| Date | Saturday, October 6 |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States, the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes Network | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Tigres players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Guzman, Fernandez, Ortega |
| Defenders | Jimenez, Juninho, Ayala, Torres Nilo, Rodriguez, Sanchez, Meza, Diaz, Cruz, Tercero |
| Midfielders | Carioca, Zelarayan, Torres, Sosa, Pizarro, Aquino, Damm, Celaya, Acosta, Duenas, Cerna, Reyes |
| Forwards | Valencia, Gignac, Vargas, Da Silva, Duran, Vega, Cruz, Quinones |
Javier Aquino is fit to return to league play after starting and scoring in the club's midweek Copa MX defeat to Pachuca. Typical left back Jorge Torres Nilo has been playing more center back with Juninho showing his age and struggling this campaign.
Potential Tigres XI: Guzman; Rodriguez, Ayala, Torres Nilo, Duenas; Pizarro, Carioca; Quinones, Zelarayan, Aquino; Gignac
| Position | Club America players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Marchesin, Jimenez, Estrada |
| Defenders | Vargas, Sanchez, Alvarez, Reyes, Valdez, Aguilera, Aguilar, Torres, Leon, Zamora |
| Midfielders | G. Rodriguez, Uribe, Dominguez, Ibarguen, Corona, Arce, Menez, Insaurralde, Lainez, Lopez, Moreno, Mina, V. Rodriguez, Aguilar |
| Forwards | Martinez, Martin, Peralta, Gonzalez |
Diego Lainez has an ankle injury suffered in training that will keep him from traveling for this match and also kept him out of this month's Mexico call-up. After a goal in the Clasico Nacional, Andres Ibarguen may win a starting spot from Cecilio Dominguez on the left wing.
Potential America XI: Marchesin; Aguilar, Valez, Aguilera, Sanchez; Ibarra, Rodriguez, Uribe, Dominguez; Martinez, Peralta
Match Preview
It's been a long time since Tigres or America tasted defeat in league play. America is undefeated in its last five matches, while Tigres have taken at least a point out of their last six.
Yet, with the table extremely compact and both teams suffering Copa MX defeats - and home draws against bitter rivals - in recent weeks, neither team is feeling secure despite the positive run of form.
America manager Miguel Herrera has designated penalty-kick takers after a shootout loss in the cup and Mateus Uribe's kick being saved by Raul Gudino on Sunday in the Clasico Nacional - a match after which Herrera was incensed. He felt only his team came out to win the match, while Chivas were playing too defensively.
Ferretti's teams are known for caution, but he'll be looking for three points out of Saturday's clash. A double from Andre-Pierre Gignac last week against Queretaro got his team back on track.
Defense always is a Tigres hallmark, and even though Ferretti has had to put players into positions they're often not used to playing (like putting Jorge Torres Nilo as a center back), his team boasts the second best defensive record with only nine goals allowed.
Between the good defense, the fact that Tigres have lost just one of their last 30 league home matches at El Volcan, and the fact that Herrera has never beaten Tigres in nine tries as America manager, and it's clear Las Aguilas have plenty of work to do if they're going to keep their distance from Tigres and stay in one of the top spots in the table.
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