ON TUESDAY, Pumas UNAM hosts Seattle Sounders in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League title-decider at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario with kickoff at 5:30 am.
In the two-legged semi-finals, Pumas UNAS beat Cruz Azul 2-1 on aggregate as they put in a solid defensive shift to secure a goalless draw in the away leg of the fixture.
The Seattle Sounders defeated New York City FC in the semi-final stage of the MLS competition last week.
After a 3-1 win in their home match, they played out a 1-1 draw in the second leg, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory. Pumas have won just once since then, while they lost twice and drew once in three Liga MX games leading up to Saturday’s final.
Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Michael Gspurning saved a penalty kick by San Jose Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart in the final minutes of a 4-3 victory, but the visiting team pulled one back. Cristian Espinoza scored an injury-time winner to complete his hat-trick.
This will be the first appearance in the final for the hosts since 2005. They are three-time champions of the Champions League, but they have not won a title since that tournament was established.
Pumas UNAM vs Seattle Sounders Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between the two sides in competitive fixtures. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- CD Guadalajara 3-1 Pumas UNAM
- Atletico de San Lus 2-0 Pumas UNAM
- Pumas UNAM 2-0 Monterrey
- Cruz Azul 0-0 Pumas UNAM
- Puebla 0-0 Pumas UNAM
Away
- San Jose Earthquakes 4-3 Seattle Sounders
- Seattle Sounders 0-1 Inter Miami
- New York FC 1-1 Seattle Sounders
- Seattle Sounders 3-1 New York City FC
- Minnesota United 1-2 Seattle Sounders
Pumas UNAM Team News
The hosts suffered injuries to some of their key players in the days leading up to their first-leg fixture against Arsenal, as Juan Ignacio Dinenno and Leonel López missed training sessions with muscle and ankle injuries, respectively. Marco García has returned to training, though, and looks likely to feature for the hosts here.
Seattle Sounders Team News
With Andrew Thomas’ calf injury continuing to hamper him and Yerai Gomez starting in the 4-3 loss to San Jose, it’s looking doubtful that the goalkeeper will be available for the game. Dylan Teves is still sidelined with a hamstring injury. There are no suspension concerns for the MLS side here.
Prediction and Odds
We expect the hosts will beat their opponents by a narrow margin in the first leg of the title-decider.
- Pumas UNAM Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- First Half: Draw
