Pumas and Cruz Azul’s projected lineups in the Clausura 2026 final second leg

The clock is ticking down to kickoff of Mexican soccer’s title decider, and plenty of questions still hang in the air. After an entertaining but scoreless first leg in midweek, both sides will have no choice but to go all in this Sunday, as the Clausura 2026 final reaches its climax. Below is a look at the likely lineups Pumas and Cruz Azul could roll out as they chase the championship.

Efraín Juárez sprung a major surprise last Thursday. The Pumas boss benched Adalberto Carrasquilla - one of the club’s creative engines and a fan favorite - and handed the nod instead to Santiago Trigos, a midfielder who had logged just 124 minutes all semester. It appears Juárez aimed to slow Cruz Azul’s transitions and control the middle of the park. However, the gamble didn’t pay off, as La Máquina consistently found space and threatened Keylor Navas’ box with ease. After that experiment, all signs point to Carrasquilla returning to the starting XI for the decisive second leg.

Meanwhile, Cruz Azul boss Joel Huiqui seems to have a clearer picture and is expected to stick with continuity. Following the strong collective showing in the first leg, the head coach is likely to field nearly the same lineup, with the main focus on sharpening their finishing in front of goal. The only real tweak could come up top: after lacking a cutting edge on Thursday, Christian Ebere might give way in the starting XI to make room for Gabriel “Toro” Fernández’s return as the focal point in attack.

This is Cruz Azul’s projected lineup:

Goalkeeper: Kevin Mier

Defenders: Willer Ditta, Gonzalo Piovi, Omar Campos, Jeremy Márquez

Midfielders: Amaury García, José Paradela, Agustín Palavecino, Carlos Rodríguez, Carlos Rotondi

Forwards: Christian Ebere / Gabriel Fernández

This is Pumas’ projected lineup:

Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas

Defenders: Nathan Silva, Rubén Duarte, Álvaro Angulo

Midfielders: Rodrigo López, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Pedro Vite

Forwards: Uriel Antuna, Jordan Carrillo, Robert Morales, Juninho

Pumas vs Cruz Azul: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.

In the second leg of the Clausura 2026 final, Pumas hosts Cruz Azul today, Sunday, May 24, with kickoff at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the game on CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, Univision, Univision NOW, ViX and fubo.

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