GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Win and then hope other results go their way.
That’s the plan for Club Tijuana and Greg Garza this weekend as they travel to Atlas on Saturday (10 pm ET; Univision Deportes) in the penultimate round of games in the Liga MX Apertura 2014 regular season as they chase a spot in the Mexican league playoffs. They currently sit four points out of the eighth and final spot with two matches to go.
Garza is in line to start at left back for Xolos, while defender Edgar Castillo – a direct competitor for a US national team spot – will be playing for Atlas against his former club for the first time.
Tijuana goes into the game down in 13th position in the Liga MX, while Atlas has already qualified for the liguilla and are looking to finish as high as possible to earn a Copa Libertadores spot.
Also in the Copa Libertadores fight are Herculez Gomez’s Tigres, who are level on points with Atlas.
Tigres travel to Guadalajara on Sunday to face a Chivas team struggling in the battle against relegation (6 pm ET; Univision Deportes) but they will be without Jose Torres, who has an injury to his right thigh and will be rested.
Michael Orozco’s Puebla will be hoping to put further pressure on Chivas in the fight against the drop by picking up points away at reigning Liga MX champion Leon on Saturday (9 pm ET; Telemundo).
Young forward Jesus Vazquez is likely to be on the bench for Leones Negros as they travel to Veracruz on Saturday, in another game with potentially important ramifications for the relegation table (6 pm ET; Univision Deportes).
In the Ascenso MX quarterfinal second legs, Daniel Cuevas and Lobos BUAP need to overturn a 2-1 deficit away at Marco Vidal’s Mineros de Zacatecas on Friday (8:30 pm ET), while Sonny Guadarrama’s Atlante is 2-1 up against his former club Necaxa ahead of the second leg Saturday in Estadio Victoria (7 pm ET).
Finally, Austin Guerrero kept a clean sheet for Altamira in the 0-0 home draw in the first leg against Correcaminos, with the return on Saturday (9 pm ET).
Tom Marshall covers Americans based in Mexico for MLSsoccer.com.
