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Possible Pachuca lineup vs Toluca in Liga MX final

Pachuca are looking for a seventh title when they take on Toluca in the Apertura final.

Kieran Quaile
Kieran Quailekquaile90
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Pachuca's Aviles Hurtado (2-R) celebrates after scoring a penalty against Monterrey during their Mexican Apertura football tournament semifinal match at the BBVA Bancomer stadium, in Monterrey, Mexico, on October 23, 2022. (Photo by Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP)
JULIO CESAR AGUILARAFP

Pachuca had to get past Tigres UANL and Monterrey on their path to the Apertura 2022 final. Los Tuzos will meet Toluca for the first time in a short-tournament final on Thursday, with the second leg taking place on Monday.

Pachuca are hoping to add to their trophy cabinet having already won six top-flight titles in Mexican football. The club from Hidalgo have built their successful record beating top sides like Cruz Azul, Tigres and América over the years.

Los Tuzos won their first title in the Invierno 1999 tournament, where they beat La Máquina de Cruz Azul 2-3 on aggregate with a goal from Alejandro Glaría in the last minute.

In the 2016 Clausura, Pachuca, then coached by Diego Alonso, ended a nearly 10-year title drought by beating Los Rayados 2-1 with a last-second goal from Víctor Guzmán. And now over six years later, Pachuca are looking for a seventh title against Toluca.

Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada ruled out feeling pressure for the final against Toluca. “The pressure is for those who get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to feed their children because if there is no sustenance, they don’t eat. That’s pressure,” Almada explained at a press conference ahead of the first leg of the Apertura final at the Nemesio Diez stadium.

Toluca have home advantage in first leg

Toluca play at home first in the two-legged affair but haven’t won a final match on home soil since 2002. The Mexican side have not lost since 7 September when they took on Tigres and at home, they have not lost since 28 August, when Pachuca defeated them at La Bombonera.

Los Diablos Rojos’ last title victory came in the 2010 Bicentenario tournament, when they beat Santos Laguna on penalties (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in normal time. Toluca are playing their twelfth final and it’s an eleventh final appearance for Pachuca. Both clubs have lost four finals in short tournaments.

Possible Pachuca lineup vs Toluca

Ustari, Álvarez, Cabral, Murillo, Isais, Sánchez, Chávez, Luna, Guzman, Ibarra, Ibáñez.

The action gets underway at La Bombonera on Thursday night.