Necaxa and Tigres open their quarter-final series in the Liga MX Liguilla on Thursday. The two clubs finished fourth and fifth in the Clausura 2025 regular season standings, setting up the matchup. One side will advance to the semifinals, while the other's season concludes.
Necaxa, led by coach Nicolás Larcamón, qualified for this phase after missing out in the previous tournament. Players like Diber Cambindo and José Paradela contributed to the team's performance through the regular season. The club last won a league title in 1998.
Tigres also reached the quarter-finals under new leadership. Guido Pizarro took over as coach mid-season following Veljko Paunovic's departure. Pizarro, who retired from playing to manage the team, navigated the club into the playoff field.
During the regular season, Tigres defeated Necaxa 2-1 when the teams met in Aguascalientes on Matchday 10. Juan Brunetta and Jesús García scored for Tigres in that match, while Agustín Palavecino found the net for Necaxa. That fixture marked Paunovic's final game as Tigres coach.
Necaxa goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain spoke about the team's sentiment entering the series. "It was an intense semester, but beautiful. Today we are hungry and full of hope," Unsain stated.
Unsain also addressed concerns about Necaxa potentially being out of rhythm after having two weeks without a competitive match. "We see the rest as an opportunity, not as an obstacle," he added. Tigres recently played a CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal tie against Cruz Azul.
For Tigres, midfielder Juan Brunetta acknowledged the challenge the team faces, particularly regarding scoring goals away from home. "They are streaks, at some point it will break," Brunetta said.
Brunetta also commented on the upcoming opponent. "Necaxa is a difficult opponent, they have great players and we hope to be up to the task, it will be a tough game," he explained. "They are long series that we have to know how to play, we have experience and hierarchy to handle this type of matches."
The first match of the quarter-final series is scheduled for Thursday, May 8. Kickoff from Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes is set for 10:00 PM ET USA. The match will air on TUDN in the United States.
