Toluca vs Club América: Club América Are the Team to Beat This Season

• Toluca lost to Club América in the league phase of the season
• Club América thrashed Puebla in the quarterfinals to make it to this stage
• Toluca edged out Santos Laguna in both legs to seal a 6-4 aggregate win

Toluca vs Club América Odds

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Toluca vs Club América Prediction

Toluca and Club América have won two games each in the last five meetings, but the away side are currently on a two-match unbeaten streak in this fixture.

Both sides love to keep hold of the ball during their matches and averaged over 56% possession in the league phase. They also have similar pass success rates, just over 84% each.

However, when the two sides met earlier this season, Club America dominated the game from the start. While they did not manage a single shot on target from their 11 attempts, they had 53% of the possession in the first half. Toluca's Claudio Baeza was sent off just after the half-hour mark, and that saw the away side sit back and defend all game.

In the second half, things got worse for Toluca because they could not get away from their own half. Club America had 70% of the possession and took 15 shots on goal, but once again, they only managed to get two shots on target.

Toluca looked set to collect their hard-earned point from the game with ten men, but Richard Sánchez scored in the 93rd minute to seal a dramatic 1-0 win for Club America.

A repeat of that scoreline is expected this week in the semi-final first leg, but it depends on Toluca. If they manage to keep all their players on the pitch and fight as they did before the red card in the previous meetings, we could be in for an end-to-end game.

Toluca Are on a Six-Match Unbeaten Run

Toluca had a dip in form in the middle of the season but managed to pull themselves together and seal their place in the playoffs. They finished the season with a win against Queretaro after holding Pumas UNAM and Mazatlan to draws. The five points in the final three matches saw them finish sixth in the table and take on Juarez in the reclassification round.

They struggled in the game but managed to seal a 3-0 with goals from Camilo Sanvezzo, Carlos Gonzalez, and Marcel Ruiz. They managed to keep just 55% of the ball as Juarez chased the game after falling 2-0 behind early in the second half.

The win saw them move into the quarterfinals, where they were up against Santos Laguna.

Toluca Edge Past Santos Laguna in Quarterfinal

Toluca did not take time to settle into the game and took a stunning 2-0 lead inside the first six minutes. Camilo Sanvezzo and Carlos Gonzalez scored to send the home crowd into a party mood, but they suffered a setback soon after.

Fernando Gorriarán scored from the spot to half the advantage at the half-hour mark, and Harold Preciado made it 2-2 just 8 minutes later. The teams went into the break level on terms, and the momentum had shifted.

Eduardo Aguirre scored just four minutes after the break to complete Santos Laguna's comeback and hand them a 3-2 lead. They held onto the lead for 24 minutes, before Sanvezzo made it level on the scoreboard once again.

The match looked set to finish 3-3, but Juan Brunetta picked up a second booking and got himself sent off in the 84th minute. Santos Laguna tried to hold on for the rest of the match but gave away a penalty in injury time. Tiago Volpi stepped up and made no mistake from the spot to win the match 4-3 for Toluca.

The second leg saw the tables turn as the away side went defensive, while the home side were attacking from the start. After a goalless first half, Jean Meneses opened the scoring for Toluca in the 47th minute, and Andrés Mosquera made it 2-0 just three minutes later.

Santos Laguna were struggling to get back in the game and were down to 10 men once again. Javier Correa got sent off after VAR changed his card before Fernando Gorriarán pulled one back for the home side with the last kick of the match.

Toluca Have Shown They Don't Need Possession to Win

Toluca's last win over Club America came in Aperture last season, and they will be using that as a blueprint for the upcoming clash. They had just 43% of the ball and 11 shots on goals but still managed to win 3-1.

In contrast, Club America had 57% possession, 17 shots with 7 on target, but only managed to score once.

Club América Are the Team to Beat This Season

Club America had a shock start to the season as they lost three of their first five matches of the season. They had just one win in the process while settling for a draw against Atlas on the opening day of the season.

However, they picked up form right after they were done playing in friendly matches against the European and MLS sides. They went on a stunning run and were unbeaten for the rest of the season.

They picked up 11 wins in 12 matches and drew the other game when they faced Santos Laguna in mid-September. Club America finished on top of the table and were clear of second place by three points.

Club América Will Be Keen to Avoid a Defeat in the First Leg

Club America have an unbeaten record at home this season and with the second leg set to be played at the Estadio Azteca, the league phase table toppers will be confident of keeping their run going.

They played 8 matches at home during the league and won six times. Their draws came against Atlas on the opening day of the season and then against Santos Laguna in September.

Should they get a positive result against Toluca in the first leg of the semifinal, they will be confident of making it to the final with ease. The home crowd would make things tough for Toluca and the away side will come in with fear just looking at the record this season.

Club América Thrashed Puebla in the Quarterfinal

Club America went 1-0 down at Puebla in the first leg of the quarterfinal but bounced back to win 6-1 at the end. They did not take it easy in the second leg as well and stunned their opponents with a 5-1 win.

The table toppers were ruthless in both legs and will be hoping to repeat the same against Toluca this week. However, it would not be as simple as the semi-final opponents tend to defend in deep blocks.

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