Chivas vs. Tigres UANL - Liga MX Final preview: TV Channel, live stream, team news & prediction
By Alex Windley
The 2023 Liga MX final will be a hotly-contested matchup between Chivas de Guadalajara and Tigres. The first leg will see Tigres host Chivas on Tuesday, May 25th, at the Estadio Universitario.
Despite having a successful history, Tigres was not considered a top contender to reach the final as they finished seventh in the regular season, winning only seven out of 17 matches. Tigres made it to the final after narrowly defeating Monterrey in the semi-final with a late goal from Francisco Cordova.
Chivas was able to overcome a 1-0 defeat at home and win away at Estadio Azteca, thanks to their head coach Veljko Paunovic. The victory against Club America, with a final score of 3-1, secured Chivas a spot in the final with a 3-2 aggregate.
This is bound to be a crazy final series.
Where to watch Chivas vs Tigres on TV/live stream
When is kick off? Thursday, May 25th, 10:10PM EST
Where is the match being played? Estadio Universitario de Nuevo Leon
TV channel/live stream? TUDN
What time does TV coverage start? 10:00PM EST
Tigres team news
Tigres started their journey to the final in the playoffs with a 1-0 over Puebla. They then advanced to the quarter-finals and won beat Toluca on aggregate 5-4. The semi-final saw them narrowly get past Monterrey, thanks to goals by the aforementioned Cordova.
Following the match, Coach Robert Siboldi spoke about his team's determination and perseverance in their pursuit of a spot in the final.
“To begin with, I feel happy with the boys, because they achieved what they set out to do at the beginning of the tournament, the players showed a lot of character, a lot of personality, I am very happy for the support of my family."
Tigres will also be without three players, with midfielder David Ayala out with a broken kneecap, Goalkeeper Miguel Ortega missing due to a shoulder injury, and center-back Samir Santos out with a knock to his thigh.
Chivas team news
To make it to the final, Chivas beat Club America 3-1 in the second leg of the tie after losing the opening leg 1-0 at home. Jesus Orozco scored the game-sealing goal for the Rojiblancos hero to see them through on aggregate.
Head coach Veljko Paunovic has done an excellent job getting his team to the final. He’s tactically adept and a phenomenal man manager and has overcome adversity time and time again as the season progresses.
Speaking to the media after their win against America in the semi-final, Paunovic talked about his team’s strength during the match.
“The most important thing for me was that the whole team came out showing it has a tremendous character, a tremendous faith in what we do,” the Serbian said. “Today it wasn’t about tactics, it wasn’t how we set up, today it was the heart of those players and all the people who support us and work around us.”
Regarding injuries, striker Jose Juan Macias will be out with an ACL tear he initially suffered in June 2022.
Chivas vs Tigres score prediction
It's difficult to predict the outcome of this match, but a tie score would maintain a competitive balance going into the second leg.
Chivas' ability to win away at America after losing at home indicates that Tigres must be cautious to avoid a surprise defeat. In the end, Chivas are too tactically together for Tigres to stop their attack.