Being the best team in the regular season and closing the final series at home are some of the key factors
Oscar Ustari, goalkeeper of Pachuca. Photo: @OscarUstari
According to the specialized site FiveThirtyEight, the Tuzos de Pachuca are the favorite team to become the new champions of Mexican soccer. And it is that according to the portal, those from Hidalgo have a 59% chance of being crowned, above the 41% that Atlas has.
And it is that, although it is the Foxes who present themselves as the current monarch of the Liga MX (they won the Apertura 2021) and are in search of the bi-championship, the estimates do not put them as favorites to do it again in this Clausura 2022. In the history of short tournaments, only the Pumas from UNAM and León have managed to be champions for two consecutive semesters.
Those from Jalisco reach the final of the Grita México with perhaps the most difficult for all the clubs that qualified for the league. In the quarterfinals they faced the Chivas de Guadalajara in the Clásico Tapatío, which they won by a score of three goals to two. Later, in the semifinals they eliminated the Tigres de la UANL five to four.
Pachuca eliminated San Luis and América in the league to be in the final of Clausura 2022. Photo: Oscar Ustari Pachuca goalkeeper. Photo: @OscarUstari
For its part, Pachuca is presented as the leader of the regular season. With a clear domain, the Tuzos achieved a harvest of 38 points after a balance of 12 wins, two draws, for just three losses. In league activity, Pachuca knocked out Atlético de San Luis in the quarterfinals with a score of five to four and América in the semifinals by four to one.
In terms of scoring quota, the Hidalguenses were, together with the Tigres, the best offense of the tournament with 30 goals. In contrast, his defense allowed 15 touchdowns. His balance, therefore, was 15 positive and his best scorer was Nicolás Ibáñez . The Jaliscienses scored 21 goals in the regular season and conceded 15 to have a score difference of plus six with Julio César Furch as their best attacker.
First leg:Atlas vs. Pachuca, Thursday, May 25 at 9:00 p.m. at the Jalisco Stadium. Probability of Atlas winning: 37%; probability that Pachuca will win: 35%; Probability of a draw: 28%.
Second leg: Pachuca vs Atlas, Sunday, May 29 at 8:10 p.m. at the Hidalgo Stadium. Probability of Pachuca winning: 49%; probability of Atlas winning: 25%; draw probability: 27%.
Atlas eliminated Tigres in the Clausura 2022 semifinals. Photo: Liga MX
Possible Atlas alienation: Camilo Vargas, Anderson Santamaría, Hugo Nervo, Emanuel Aguilera, Luis Reyes, José Abella, Aldo Rocha, Edgar Zaldívar, Aníbal Chalá, Julián Quiñones and Julio César Furch.
Possible Alienation Pachuca: Oscar Ustari, Kevin Álvarez, Gustavo Cabral, Miguel Tapias, Daniel Aceves, Erick Sánchez, Luis Chávez, Avilés Hurtado, Víctor Guzmán, Romario Ibarra and Nicolás Ibáñez.
Next Background
The most recent game between Pachuca and Atlas dates from the beginning of April in a match corresponding to matchday 8 of Clausura 2022. The match had place in the Jalisco field with victory for the Tuzos by minimum difference. The solitary goal was the responsibility of Roberto de la Rosa three minutes after regulation time. In that game Jairo Torres was expelled.