How many teams have been crowned Liga MX champions with a second leg home advantage?

Clausura 2023 finalists Tigres and Chivas face each other again in the final series, six years after their last meeting. There was a lot of expectation in the days leading up to last night’s first leg with some predicting a high-scoring game - or least some goals. But it ended 0-0 at Estadio Universitario to leave emotions reserved for Sunday’s return leg at Akron Stadium.

In the history of the short tournament format, a total of 18 finals have ended level after the first leg, and prior to this Sunday’s deciding game in Guadalajara, the statistics favour the locals - 12 teams have been crowned champions after a draw in the first leg with the return played played at their stadium. Only on six occasions has the away team prevailed to lift the trophy whenever the first leg has ended level.

But anything can happen in football and Tigres will be heartened in the knowledge that they know how it feels to be crowned champions in someone else’s back yard. In the 2017 Apertura, they drew 1-1 against Monterrey in the first leg at home, then travelled to Guadalupe where they broke Rayada fans’ hearts, winning the return leg 1-2 with goals from Eduardo Vargas and Francisco Meza to deny their eternal rival on home turf.

Chivas however, will remember what happened when they won their last title (the Clausura 2017) - the one which has drawn several comparisons to this season. The first leg finished 2-2 and their home advantage was made to count when the final was decided in Guadalajara, where they won 2-1 to lift the trophy 4-3 on aggregate.