'That was your last dance' - Juan Brunetta jokes with Tigres manager Guido Pizarro ahead of quarterfinal match vs Necaxa

Tigres will visit Necaxa on Thursday in the first leg of the Liga MX quarterfinals, fully aware of the dangers of overconfidence - a mistake that cost them dearly in the previous tournament when they were eliminated at the same stage by Atlético de San Luis.

As the postseason begins, playmaker Juan Brunetta spoke about the challenge of facing Nicolás Larcamón’s Necaxa and the weight he carries in leading Tigres through the knockout rounds.

“This is a completely different kind of match - it’s the Liguilla, where everything is on the line," Brunetta said. "We either do things right or we’re out. I’m more convinced than ever about what the coaching staff wants, and we need to be sharp. It’s a 180-minute battle, and we can’t afford to repeat what happened against San Luis, when we came home with a heavy loss and struggled to come back,”

He acknowledged Necaxa’s growth under Larcamón, a coach he knows well from previous encounters.

“Necaxa has done things well," he said. "Since Larcamón arrived, the club has improved a lot. He’s a coach with a clear idea of how he wants his team to play. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to place ourselves below them. We need to focus on what we do well. It’s going to be tough - as all Liguilla matches are.”

In their last regular season meeting, Tigres edged Necaxa 2-1 in what turned out to be their final road win under former coach Veljko Paunović. Since then, including matches in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Tigres have failed to win their last six away games.

Even more concerning is their goal drought away from home - 524 minutes without scoring. Their last road goal came on March 4, in the first leg against FC Cincinnati, courtesy of Nico Ibáñez.

“We’re aware of that stat, and yeah, the last goal was in Cincinnati from Nico," Brunetta said. "It’s something we need to fix - our inability to score or win on the road. But these are just streaks. They end eventually. Hopefully, we can break it tomorrow in what will be a tough match, against a team that has done things well."

When Tigres step onto the pitch in Aguascalientes on Thursday, it will be a special return for Guido Pizarro, who played his final professional match there in March before transitioning into his current role as the team’s head coach.

That night, Tigres earned a 2-1 victory over Necaxa - a win that would mark the end of Veljko Paunović’s tenure and the beginning of a new chapter under Pizarro.

Brunetta couldn’t resist poking fun at his coach ahead of the trip.

“I told him yesterday, ‘That was your last dance,’” he joked. “We tease him about it, but now it’s a different story. It’s a new match, a new stage - the Liguilla. We know how important it is; this is the most critical part of the league. You either do things right or your season ends.”

Brunetta was Tigres’ top performer during the Clausura 2025, consistently showing a high level of play throughout the regular season. The Argentine midfielder was involved in nine of Tigres’ goals, scoring six and providing three assists.