Tigres UANL vs. UNAM Pumas: Date, Live Stream for 2015 Liga MX Apertura Final
Tigres UANL and UNAM Pumas will meet in the final of the 2015 Liga MX Apertura, with the first leg to be contested on Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolas de los Garza. Univision Deportes will carry full coverage and live streams of both legs.
Pumas led the Liga MX standings at the end of the season but stumbled into the final with a controversial win over Club America, while Tigres have been the in-form team and held Toluca scoreless across two legs, advancing with a 2-0 aggregate score.
With away goals not counting in the final, Pumas have the advantage of hosting the second leg, but given their superb form, Tigres will be the favourites entering the tie. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming clash.
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Dates: Thursday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 13
Times: Thursday kick-off will be at 10 p.m. ET, Sunday kick-off at 9:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: Univision Deportes
Preview
Pumas nearly gave away a three-goal advantage in their second-leg loss against Club America, losing 3-1 against a team that finished the match with nine men. The match was marred by a number of ugly incidents, including a dreadful tackle on Javier Guemez and even allegations from Club America forward Darwin Quintero of racism, per ESPN FC's Tom Marshall.
It marked the second consecutive round in which Pumas survived strong challenges they should have avoided altogether, and their form entering the final is questionable at best. Their tendency for the dramatic does make them fun to watch, however, per football blogger Matthew Doyle:
In contrast, Tigres have looked very solid of late, led by a sturdy defence and an exciting group of attackers who complement each other beautifully. Andre-Pierre Gignac, Rafael Sobis, Jurgen Damm and Javier Aquino have enough talent between them to break down any defence, and they seem ready to feast on the inconsistent Pumas back line.
Marshall thinks their defence is even more impressive, however, and that will ultimately lead them to victory:
"The team is undefeated in its past 10 Liga MX matches, and the bedrock of that success is that Tigres have conceded only five times in those games -- and once in their past 489 minutes of play.
The momentum heading into the final feels like it is with Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's well-oiled and efficient Tigres machine. The squad is the best in the league, and although Pumas won 1-0 against Tigres in the regular-season game back in September, Tigres have improved since then.
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But while momentum may be with the hosts going into the first leg of the final, Pumas match up very well with Tigres. The seven-time Primera Division champions don't mind sitting back and ceding possession, and they can be lethal on the counter-attack.
Ismael Sosa and Fidel Martinez repeatedly carved up the Club America defence in the first leg of their semi-final win, using their raw athleticism to take advantage of the space that came available out wide.
On the other side of the pitch, Gignac has quickly disproved the notion European players cannot find success in the Mexican league, but he has been just one of many players who have really stepped up for Tigres this season. ESPN FC Mexico thinks their depth makes them the favourites heading into the final:
Manager Ricardo Ferretti deserves a lot of praise for the way his team is playing solid, smart football and not taking any unnecessary risks.
He defended his philosophy last week, per Marshall, saying: "We don't look to please people, but they should understand: a 1-0 score doesn't mean it was a poor game and a 5-4 doesn't mean it was excellent."
Pumas have been impossible to predict since the quarter-finals of the Liga MX Apertura, and if they play with the same ruthless efficiency they showed during the first leg of their win over Club America, they have a strong chance of grabbing a result at Tigres. But consistency remains an issue for the seven-time champions, and over the course of two legs, Tigres have to be considered the favourites.
