CONCACAF Champions League 2013: Breaking Down Matches on Schedule for Thursday

The 2013 CONCACAF Champions League has two matches on schedule for Thursday, Sept. 19, but only one will have major implications in the group stage. 

W Connection F.C. will be looking to get back into contention in Group 1 with a win over Arabe Unido, which sits in second place with three points and is two points ahead of their Thursday counterparts.

The Houston Dynamo sit ahead of both clubs with four points, but either club could erase that deficit with a win.

In the second match of the evening, there will be far less on the line. Luis Angel Firpo has struggled mightily in the group stage having earned just one point, while its opponent, Club Deportivo Victoria, has yet to notch a point.

Both squads are well behind the Group 7 leader Tijuana as the club has seven points in total.

Let's take a look at each of these matches and a prediction for both.

W Connection F.C. vs. Arabe Unido

Should W Connection F.C. win this match, it will be tied for first in Group 1. If Arabe Unido emerges victorious, they will take the lead in the group, and a draw will put them in a tie with Houston.

When these two clubs met back on Aug. 8, Arabe Unido was the victor after netting three goals en route to victory. The match was never really in doubt as Humberto Ward scored two goals in the first 32 minutes and Arabe Unido added yet another in the 53rd minute before W Connection F.C. got a consolation in the 75th minute.

In their last two matches, W Connection F.C. has netted just one goal compared to four for Aribe Unido. With all its struggles on offense, W Connection F.C. will have a tough time matching what can sometimes be a potent attack from Arabe Unido.

Even if it has an off day, Arabe Unido doesn't need much to top W Connection F.C., so two goals will likely be more than enough to win this match.

Arabe Unido 2, W Connection F.C. 1

L.A. Firpo vs. CD Victoria

Both of these clubs are well out of contention in Group 7, so this match is more for bragging rights and moral victory than anything else, with Tijuana having a six-point lead over second-place L.A. Firpo and a seven-point advantage on CD Victoria.

But don't let the one-point difference between these squads fool you, as CD Victoria has netted two goals in one group match, while L.A. Firpo has yet to score a goal in two contests. To make Victoria's goal total more impressive, they have already played group leader Tijuana, losing by a narrow margin of 3-2.

L.A. Firpo's ineptitude on the offensive end is a major concern in this match. With Victoria looking competitive against Tijuana and L.A. Firpo's shutout result against the same squad, there's no question Victoria is playing better at the moment.

Victoria won't need to do much defensively with their counterparts struggling mightily to find the back of the net. In the end, it'll take just one goal for Victoria to grab a victory and move up one spot in Group 7.

CD Victoria 1, L.A. Firpo 0