Toluca vs Pachuca: all or nothing for glory
Mexican soccer already knows its two finalists and the definition of winning the title will be as exciting as the playoffs or the regular phase. Indeed, next Thursday Toluca and Pachuca will play the first leg final at La Bombonera in what will be an unmissable ninety minutes that could be the turning point to define the new tournament champion.
On the one hand, the Red Devils were the great surprise of sports predictions considering that they raffled everyone’s candidate, America. Indeed, Toluca knows very well that getting a good result at home and in front of its people can be the difference between being champion or runner-up in Mexican soccer.
For their part, the Tuzos arrive as clear favorites in sports forecasts to win the title, thus breaking the hegemony of Atlas during the last two tournaments. In effect, Pachuca will have to rescue a good result as a visitor that will allow them to define the series at home with more peace of mind.
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Last Toluca matches
Ignacio Ambriz achieved what many fans did not believe possible. It is that the Red Devils have not managed to reach a final since that fateful 1-0 defeat against Santos that meant the two-time championship. And to find the last title of the domestic tournament, you have to go back to 2010 when Toluca won the bicentennial tournament of Mexican soccer.
Toluca’s arguments to be one of the two best teams in Mexican soccer today are undeniable: ability to overcome adverse moments, effectiveness in the rival area and a defense that managed to get stronger from the Playoffs on, being the opposite of what was shown during the regular phase.
It is worth remembering that Toluca finished the regular phase in sixth place in the standings with 27 points in 17 games played with 7 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses. Likewise, the Red Devils scored 27 goals in favor and received 23 points, showing that the defense had not been as solid as it was later.
Toluca’s last games in the regular phase were as follows: they fell 1-4 against Pachuca in a logical result for sports betting , tied goalless against Chivas de Guadalajara, lost 3-1 against Tigres, tied 2-2 against Pumas, 1-1 versus Mazatlán and Puebla closing the last day with a 4-1 at home versus Querétaro.
Already in the playoff playoff zone, the Red Devils ran into Juarez and had no major problems to win 3-0. Later, in the quarterfinals, Toluca suffered to beat Santos Laguna 6-4 on aggregate, while they hit the semi-finals against América after a 2-1 home draw and a 1-1 draw at the Azteca Stadium. .
Last Pachuca matches
Guillermo Almada deepened the football idea that led the Tuzos to be the favorites of sports betting during the last seasons. Although it is true that América or Rayados de Monterrey are always the protagonists for having millionaire budgets, Pachuca earned the respect of his rivals.
The Tuzos propose an immutable football idea both as a local and as a visitor and the team repeats the idea despite the rival on duty. Associated game, populating the rival area with many players and being intense during the ninety minutes were the characteristics of the team during the last tournaments.
Despite the good level shown by Pachuca, the lack of a title generated a disappointment in the fans, although now the Tuzos are 180 minutes away from reversing the trend. It is worth remembering that, during the regular phase, Almada’s team finished in fourth place in the standings, as a result of 32 points in 17 games in play with 9 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, scoring 28 goals in favor and conceding 15 so many in a great defensive performance.
Already in the quarterfinals, Pachuca was able to overcome a 1-0 loss against Tigres in the first leg to qualify with a 2-1 at home. In the semifinals, the Tuzos broke with all Liga México forecasts by thrashing Rayados de Monterrey 5-2 in the first leg and closing the key with another away victory by 0-1.
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Background between both
Toluca and Pachuca played 52 matches in the Mexican League with 21 wins for the Red Devils, 17 wins for Los Tuzos and 14 draws. Likewise, in La Bombonera they met 28 times with 15 local wins for Toluca, 10 wins for Pachuca at home and 3 draws.
One thing to keep in mind for the Liga México predictions is that the last clash between the two at La Bombonera was an away win for Pachuca by 1-4 during the regular phase of the current edition of the Mexican Soccer League.
The magnifying glass on…
Jean Meneses was the top scorer for the Red Devils in the regular phase with seven goals accumulated. For his part, Camilo Sanvezzo scored 6 goals, while Leonardo Fernández scored 5 goals in the tournament and can surprise at any time.
The magnifying glass on…
Nicolás Ibáñez was the top scorer for the Tuzos during the regular phase with 11 goals accumulated in the competition, while Hurtado and Hernández scored 3 goals each.
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Sports bets
The main bookmakers agree on the favoritism of Los Tuzos for Thursday’s clash. Indeed, the away victory of Pachuca offers a price of 2.50, placing the local victory of Toluca at 2.70 and the draw at 3.40.
If both teams convert, the sum to be received will be 1.70, while the favorite result is a 1-1 draw whose odds are 6.50. Likewise, an interesting combination is that of Toluca 1-0 at halftime and 1-1 final result whose sum amounts to 19.00.
Finally, if Nicolás Ibáñez opens or closes the scoring, the fee to be received will be 6.00, while Camilo Sanvezzo’s goal at any time is 3.75.
