The Tigers battle with the Lions in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals! It’s time to check our CONCACAF odds series, starring our Tigres-Leon prediction, pick, and how-to-watch guide.
After outscoring FC Motagua in the quarterfinals while keeping two clean sheets in both legs, the Tigers had mixed results in their return to Liga MX. Los Auriazules lost against Mazatlan, drew with Queretarao, and most recently got a win over Puebla. The Tigers hope to get a beneficial advantage as they host the first leg in Estadio Universitario.
Los Panzas Verdes is currently in a four-game winless streak, going goalless against Cruz Azul and Club Tijuana while losing 2-0 to CD Guadalajara. Club Leon lost to Violette AC 2-1 in the second leg of the quarterfinals, but their 5-0 advantage in the first leg was enough to send them in this stage of the competition.
Here are the Tigres-Leon soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
CONCACAF Odds: Tigres-Leon Odds
Tigres UANL: -165
Club Leon: +380
Draw: +290
Over 2.5 Goals: -136
Under 2.5 Goals: -102
How to Watch Tigres vs. Leon
TV: Fox Sports 1, Univision NOW, UniMás
Stream: CONCACAF Go, Fox Sports App, FoxSports.com
Time: 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Tigres Can Beat Leon
The Liga MX giants are set to extend their domestic rivalry to the CONCACAF Champions League after booking their place in the semi-finals. They are the two surviving Mexican representatives out of the four that began the competition. Tigres UANL won the title once, in 2020.
Lined up in a classic 4-4-2 formation, Tigres UANL got the better of Puebla last week in the interesting Liga MX showdown at Estadio Universitario. Coach Robert Siboldi put an end to the winless streak they were experiencing and they did it with quite the style – 20 shots on target, 57% possession, and 84% pass accuracy.
Back in the quarterfinals, Los Tigres crushed Honduran side Motagua 6-0 on aggregate to complete a four-game unbeaten run in the series. With one match to spare in Liga MX Clausura, UANL sits seventh behind fifth-placed Leon on 25-27 points respectively. The last meeting between the sides ended 1-0 in favor of Leon.
Robert Siboldi saw his team make it through a nervy two-legged tie with Orlando City in the round of 16, advancing on away goals, before taking care of the 18-time Honduran champions in the last eight, conceding just once so far, their fewest-ever at this stage of the competition since it was renamed.
While they are usually the aggressors with an up-tempo brand of football, their quality has varied depending on whether they are at home or on the road, scoring a goal or fewer in all but two away contests in all competitions this year, but managing to net six times in their last two matches played at Estadio Universitario. They have never lost the opening leg of a CCL semi-final tie under its current name and have not conceded a goal at home in this round. In Liga MX Clausura 2023, Leon has a 4-2-2 record at home, tallying 11 games to secure the fourth-best home record.
Los Auriazules have been piling up the numbers statistically, and their persistence has eventually paid off, firing six or more efforts on target in each of their four Champions League affairs, while having over 60% of the possession on three occasions.
We saw numerous new faces in the Tigres starting 11 from the opening leg at Motagua to the return fixture as Jesus Garza, Samir, Fernando Gorriaran and Sebastian Cordova replaced Jesus Angulo, Diego Reyes, Rafael Carioca, and Diego Lainez in their April 13 triumph.
Andre-Pierre Gignac has 11 goals versus Leon, and he notched a brace in their previous CCL clash, with the other goals coming from Angulo, Luis Quinones, and Nicolas Ibanez. Nahuel Guzman is tied with Rodolfo Cota of Leon for the clean sheets in the Liga MX regular season (eight) and has only faced three shots in two Champions League home fixtures this season, saving them all.
Why Leon Can Beat Tigres
Winless Leon hit a new low last week when coach Nicolas Larcamon’s boys locked horns with Tijuana at Estadio Caliente. Sure, Larcamon’s players did well on the counter-attack and had more shots at target but their 38% possession was the reason behind the unfortunate 1-1 draw. Leon comes into this encounter in poor form, winless in four successive matches in all competitions and without a road victory since edging Mazatlan 2-1 in the Liga MX Clausura late last month.
The visitors are bidding for their first CONCACAF Champions League title after five participations. Spirits are high in Leon’s camp ahead of their first semi-final game in the continental competition. Their previous best finish was a quarter-final spot in the 2022 edition.
Los Panzas Verdes are battling a rough patch of form though, as they are winless in their last four games, drawing and losing twice. Like UANL, Leon has qualified for the Reclassification, which determines the last four teams for the quarterfinals of the Clausura Liga MX final phase. La Fiera has missed countless opportunities to get into a quarter-final position for the Liga MX Clausura, but they seem to be hitting their stride in this competition. The 2021 winners of the Leagues Cup have never made a CCL semi-final, but have been steadily improving each season, going from a round-of-16 team in 2020-21 before losing to the eventual winners the Seattle Sounders in the last eight a season ago and knocking out the Haitians this time around to make the final four.
Although their track record away from home versus Tigres is not great, they managed to triumph in their previous visit to Estadio Universitario last September, winning 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Samir.
With a five-goal cushion heading into their second-leg tie versus Violette, Larcamon inserted numerous fresh faces into his lineup with Cota, Paul Bellon, Angulo, Lucas Romero, and Brian Rubio being the only ones to keep their place in the starting 11 for each of those encounters.
Goals from Angel Mena, Lucas Di Yorio, Elias Hernandez and a brace from Victor Davila gave them a comfortable advantage heading into leg two versus the Haitians, while Rubio netted from the penalty spot in their 2-1 defeat versus Violette in mid-April. Hernandez has scored four goals in these Leon-Tigres matches having featured for each, while Angel Mena scored twice to help them advance past Los Auriazules in the Apertura semi-finals back in 2021, before losing the two-leg final to Atlas on penalties.
Final Tigres-Leon Prediction & Pick
Both clubs boast high goal-scoring bouts in recent games, and this momentum is expected to carry onwards this game. However, the home advantage will give the Tigers a slight edge over the Lions.
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