It’s tempting to look towards a win for Santos. They’re typically fantastic at home, they rarely have bad stretches for long periods of time and they’ve also been outstanding defensively.
Leon, near the bottom of the table, are far from their best but are in fact beginning to turn things around. It’s easy to forget that they’re the current title-holders, and although they may not have enough confidence to push for an eye-catching away win, they should be able to keep this close.
Leon are gradually improving and should be able to be competitive in this one.
Pick:
The Tie
Check out the Liga MX Championship predictions for 2021 Clausura!
How to Watch Santos Laguna vs Leon
| Santos Laguna vs Leon Information |
| What |
Santos Laguna vs Leon |
| Where |
Estadio Corona (Torreon, Mexico) |
| When |
Sunday, March 21st at 9:00 PM ET |
| How to Watch |
FS2 |
It has been fascinating to see the evolution of Leon in 2021. With a 2020 Apertura title in hand, Los Panza’s Verdes appeared to treat most of the first half of the current tournament as a preseason of sorts. Slouching through game after game with a championship hangover, Leon have finally woken up during the last couple of weeks.
Perhaps given a wake-up call after finding themselves in second-to-last place by Week 9, Leon responded to their numerous poor performances with a 1-1 draw against Monterrey and a recent 3-1 win over Necaxa.
There’s plenty that they must continue to improve, and any quick look at their league positioning makes that obvious, but Leon do look to now be as aggressive and ambitious as they were last season.
And when you consider some of Santos’s absences, Leon should be able to go toe-to-toe this weekend.
Santos Will Be Missing A Couple Of Starters
One thing to keep in mind for the next week or so is Concacaf’s Olympic qualifying tournament that is currently underway. In the chase for a spot in this summer’s Olympics, Mexico has formed a U24 side that is fighting against some of the best young talent in the region.
And due to this, both Santiago Muñoz and Alan Cervantes will be missing for Santos. Since late January, Muñoz has been a game-changer for Santos with his three goals in eight appearances. In the midfield, Cervantes has been even more impactful with his distribution and defensive interventions that have helped Santos’ well-balanced approach.
Both will be big misses for Santos…
Leon Are Set To Come Roaring Back
Keep an eye on Leon. Regardless of their underwhelming start to the year, they still have all of the tools to be a title-contender.
And for what it’s worth before they started their latest two-game undefeated streak, Leon were playing decent soccer in their previous three defeats. With plenty of possession and chances created, all that seemed to be missing was the final pass or shot that could have changed things around.
That now seems to be different in March. It has taken a few tweaks and a couple of starters to reawaken, but Leon has provided some lively and energizing performances that could foreshadow some losses or ties for upcoming opponents who initially assumed the title-contenders have already given up.
If Leon Do Find A Resurgence, Carlos Acevedo Should Be Able To Hold This To A Low-Scoring Affair
All that said, Santos do have a fantastic backup plan in net. Boasting some of the best goalkeeping numbers in 2021, 24-year-old Carlos Acevedo has been thrilling to watch as he’s guided Santos to exemplary showings week after week.
With outstanding reflexes between the sticks, the young Mexican appears destined to become a prominent member of the senior national team in the near future.
There are no guarantees that Leon will continue their revival, but if they do, Acevedo should do plenty to keep the scoreline level if needed.
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