Friday night is critical in the Liga MX playoff race. Eight teams get into the Liguilla, and four teams still alive in the race will see their hopes dashed in the final two weeks of the season.
Two of those teams, Puebla and Tijuana, are involved in Friday night’s appetizer matches ahead of Saturday and Sunday’s main course.
Other teams have their spots locked up already and can worry mostly about what their seed will look like. Others can extend their season with a pair of victories to close out their campaigns but need to fight to get those results.
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Goal takes a look at what each team needs to continue their pursuits of the title or earn an advantage with a better seed:
In the playoffs and fighting for seeding
Several teams already have punched their ticket to the party. Leon locked up its spot earlier this month as it continues its record winning streak.
Despite that, Leon is yet to lock up the Superlider spot with Tigres still within striking distance. Should Leon drop both its final matches of the season and Tigres get wins in both games against Puebla and Chivas, it’ll be Tigres entering the playoffs as the top seed. With Tigres likely to play an alternate side Friday between legs of the Concacaf Champions League final and Leon needing only a point against Chivas or Pachuca, the first-place spot is La Fiera’s to lose.
Tigres’ crosstown rival Monterrey also has cinched its playoff place and is set to play a youth team Saturday against Necaxa to give its top players a breather ahead of next week’s CCL decider.
Win and you’re in
With three teams already having clinched their spot in the postseason, there are five teams who can win both their final two matches and assure their position in the Liguilla as well. That starts with Cruz Azul, which has a game against a still-alive Lobos BUAP this weekend. La Maquina actually is a point away from booking its passage to the postseason, though it’s going to take more than that to get home-field advantage in the quarterfinals.
Necaxa and Pachuca each have 25 points with Los Rayos hoping they can knock off Rayados’ alternate lineup and get a place in the final eight. Tuzos may be feeling the pressure at the Estadio Higaldo this weekend with Atlas in town. A win over Los Rojinegros looks much more likely than going to Leon and getting a victory against their sister Grupo Pachuca team on the final weekend. Three points this weekend, though, would be enough to put them back in the postseason.
The situation is more precarious for America. Miguel Herrera’s men have slumped to two draws and a defeat over the past three weeks. The run-in looks pretty cushy, with Santos Laguna coming to the Estadio Azteca and a final trip against hapless Veracruz closing out the season. Still, results will be needed for the reigning champion to make sure it gets the opportunity to defend its crown.
And Puebla is hanging onto its spot by an even smaller margin with the Friday game against Tigres’ reserves and a closing contest in Tijuana against fellow contenders Xolos approaching must-win status for El Chelis to get his squad back to the Liguilla.
In the hunt
Not only do these teams need a win, but they also need some help. In some cases, they only need a little help.
Tijuana is nearly guaranteed a spot with a pair of wins simply based on scheduling, with Xolos currently sitting one point behind Puebla for the final spot. Toluca is two points out and closes the season against a pair of teams not currently in the playoff positions in Pumas and Lobos BUAP.
In some cases, teams need a lot of help.
Lobos BUAP actually have their own outside shot of qualifying on their own, though. They’re currently on 20 points heading into contests with Cruz Azul and Toluca.
Nobody needs more assistance than Santos Laguna. Los Guerreros let their manager go during a losing skid but could still sneak into the final position with wins over America and Pumas plus things breaking perfectly for them further up the table.
Better luck next year
Some of the league’s ‘grandes,’ the four largest teams in the country historically, enter Jornada 16 playing simply for pride. That includes Pumas, who were eliminated last weekend after a 2-1 loss to Cruz Azul and Chivas, which saw Tomas Boy take over and continue the losing skid the club is on.
Atlas, Queretaro and Morelia also have no chance at the playoffs and are playing for nothing but pride.
Not that the Tiburones Rojos would’ve been in the playoff picture either way, but Veracruz has zero points after being punished by FIFA. The club should go down but may be able to pay a fee to continue on in the first division.