For the first time since 2020, Tigres will visit Red Bull Arena to battle New York City FC, this time in the Leagues Cup round of 16 on Tuesday.
In the previous round, La U de Nuevo Leon narrowly defeated Pachuca 1-0, while the Pigeons eliminated the New England Revolution on penalties (7-6) after that match ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Match preview
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We saw a rather timid performance from Tigres overall last Thursday, but ultimately, they did enough to advance into the last 16 of this tournament for a second successive occasion.
That victory was their first clean sheet in this competition since defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in the 2023 group stage.
Veljko Paunovic's men are on a five-match winning run across all competitions, while going unbeaten in their last seven competitive fixtures.
On Tuesday, they have an opportunity to claim consecutive knockout triumphs at the Leagues Cup for the first time since winning all three of their encounters en route to lifting the trophy in 2019.
Tigres have scored a goal or fewer in three successive Leagues Cup knockout fixtures and were eliminated in their only previous appearance in the last 16 of this tournament, losing 1-0 to Monterrey last year.
Los Auriazules won their only two prior meetings with New York City FC, claiming a 1-0 triumph at Red Bull Arena in 2020 and advancing from that CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final tie 5-0 on aggregate.
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Just days after suffering a late defensive meltdown versus FC Cincinnati (4-2 loss), the Boys in Blue showed a lot of character in an intense battle with the Revs on Friday.
Nick Cushing's men have failed to win a match within 90 minutes in this tournament despite scoring first in their previous two Leagues Cup contests.
This club have never won a knockout fixture in this competition after 90 minutes, scoring a goal or fewer on each of those previous three occasions.
The Pigeons are winless in eight successive away matches across all competitions, though they have earned a result in four of their previous five contests as the visitors.
Their previous competitive fixture played in Harrison, New Jersey, saw them defeat Toronto 3-0 in September 2023, though they lost their only Leagues Cup encounter, which took place there, 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in the round of 32 last year.
Tuesday will only be the second time they face a Mexican opponent in a Leagues Cup knockout contest, with NYCFC losing on penalties versus Pumas in the 2021 quarter-finals after that match ended in a 1-1 draw.
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Team News
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We are unlikely to see David Ayala feature for Tigres on Tuesday as he continues to recover from a knee cap injury that has kept him sidelined throughout this tournament.
Marcelo Flores netted his first of the competition in the round of 32, while Nahuel Guzman made three stops for his first clean sheet at the Leagues Cup this year.
Against the Revolution, New York City were missing Andres Perea, who is recovering from a knock, while Malachi Jones was unavailable because of a broken tibia and Talles Magno was loaned to Corinthians on Friday until June 2025.
Santiago Rodriguez put them in front on Friday with a 35th-minute penalty, while New England's Mark-Anthony Kaye saw his spot-kick in the shootout hit the woodwork, allowing Justin Haak to score the winner from 12 yards away.
Tigres possible starting lineup:
Guzman; Aquino, Pizarro, Reyes, Angulo; Gorriaran, Carioca; Cordova, Brunetta, Ibanez; Gignac
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Martins, Risa, McFarlane; Parks, Sands; Wolf, Rodriguez, Fernandez; Martinez
We say: Tigres 1-1 New York City FC (Tigres advances on penalties)
While New York City have found a way to get through to the last 16, they have struggled to find that killer instinct, and we believe that may come back to bite them on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
