Leon vs Pumas Prediction, Betting Odds & Picks

Mexsport

• There are no guarantees that Pumas will have all of their starters available
• Leon have been on an incredible run of form at home
• In what could be his last chance for a trophy, Luis Montes should be eager to step up as a hero for Leon 

Leon vs Pumas Odds

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Leon vs Pumas Predictions and Picks

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Liga MX finals, Leon will now host the second and final leg against Pumas this Sunday night.

Although Leon needed a late equalizer in the first leg to keep things equal, they arguably had better chances overall in the encounter and maintained more possession. As for Pumas, the bad news for them is that they could be missing some key players due to injuries from Thursday night’s recent game.

Also keeping in mind that Leon has 15 wins in their last 16 home games in all competitions, you get the sense that the visiting team might have some problems this weekend.

Pick:

Leon to clinch this season’s Liga MX championship

How to Watch Leon vs Pumas

It all comes down to Sunday night.

Following the 1-1 draw in Thursday’s first leg, this weekend’s second leg of the Liga MX finals will decide which team will lift the 2020 Apertura trophy.

Despite the fact that Leon’s Stiven Barreiro earned a recent red card and will therefore be unavailable, his squad still maintain a narrow advantage in this series. They escaped with a 1-1 draw (in what should have been a favorable game for Pumas), and most importantly, they’ll now return to familiar ground for the second leg that will determine who will win the title.

Pumas — for all of their latest efforts to silence Leon’s attack on Thursday — failed to halt an 89th-minute goal from Emanuel Gigliotti. Symbolic of the futility of attempting to stifle Leon’s impressive frontline options, Pumas realized that their more defensive-minded approach was only enough to get a low-scoring draw at home.

They’ll need to chase a win on Sunday. If they wish to have any hopes of earning a trophy, Pumas will have to push forward and potentially allow more space for Leon to maneuver through the final third.

And unfortunately for Pumas, they might have to do so without some starters.

Crucial Figures Could Miss The Championship Game For Pumas

Although the latest match finished in a 1-1 draw, Pumas manager Andres Lillini looked defeated as he somberly analyzed the encounter that was just minutes away from a narrow win for his team. Lillini also looked discouraged as he began to discuss injuries to several players.

At the time of writing, it is still unclear if Juan Iturbe, Leonel Lopez, and Carlos Gonzalez — all starters in their latest match — will be 100% fit for this weekend’s second leg. Along with those figures, there are also question marks regarding the health of Facundo Waller, Favio Alvarez, and star goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera.

Even if all of the players mentioned recover and make it into the gameday, there are no guarantees that they’ll be fully healthy or ready to be playing at their very best.

Leon Have Been Near-Perfect When Hosting

It’s one thing to be undefeated at home, and it’s another to rarely earn draws as well. As mentioned above, in all competitions, Leon has an astonishing total of 15 wins in the last 16 games that they’ve hosted.

And it’s not as if Pumas haven’t had a chance to snap this streak either. In their last two meetings on Leon’s home ground, Pumas lost 2-0 in September and 3-1 in March.

As for Leon’s latest stretch of games, they’ve been incredible with 12 goals scored in their last six matches at home, while only allowing four.

Luis Montes’ Moment For Glory Lies Ahead For Leon

At the risk of overlooking analytics and simply going with a “gut feeling,” a Liga MX script for this season would perfectly end with a dominant performance from Montes for Leon.

In comes a 34-year-old veteran who is not only playing the best soccer of his career but also someone who has arguably looked like the MVP of the Liga MX season. Blessed with an eye for good distribution, shots from distance, and a never-ending supply of energy, Montes is an incredibly dangerous player that acts as a conductor on the field.

Now 90 minutes from what could be his last-ever title, there’s no reason why the aging marquee player shouldn’t be motivated to carry his team to a victory.