While America and Toluca battle for a place in the 2013 Liga MX Apertura final, Santos Laguna and Leon will begin their march to a championship in what should be a highly entertaining two-legged slate. Taking down Queretaro by way of a 6-3 aggregate in the quarterfinals, Santos Laguna is poised to continue their strong form. Finishing four points back of first place America at the conclusion of the Mexican league regular season, Guerreros have the make-up of a championship team. Earning 33 points through 17 season contests, Santos will certainly possess a challenge to Leon, the team who finished in third place.
Oribe Peralta leads Santos offensively with 11 goals. Registering one tally in his side's dominating quarterfinal victory over Queretaro, Peralta hopes to finalize a strong individual season with a Liga MX title. Peralta was instrumental in the Mexican National team advancing to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil thanks to a magnificent offensive performance when it mattered most. With El Tri facing elimination entering a playoff series with New Zealand, the 29-year-old elevated his game to the highest of levels. Registering two goals in the opening leg and three more in the second frame, Peralta became the latest Mexican soccer star, carrying El Tri to a 9-3 aggregate victory over the All Whites. Thanks to his performance, Mexico and new head coach Miguel Herrera will head to the country's sixth-consecutive World Cup.
Santos will surely need Peralta to continue his strong play throughout the semifinal series with Leon. Mauro Boselli is a dynamic offensive player and if he's able to get the Leon offense going, the two legs could turn into a nightmare for Santos Laguna, even if Peralta is playing well. Along with Boselli - who scored in each quarterfinal match against Morelia - Luis Montes, Hernan Burbano and Matia Britos have all shown the ability to contribute on offense, with Burbano serving as the team leader in assists with Franco Arizala.
Leon took down Santos back on August 30 at Estadio Corona, with Boselli and Britos recording the goals. If Leon is able to have that same kind of consistency on offense while controlling the play of Peralta and the Santos offense, Los Panzas Verdes could jump out to the early advantage before heading to Estadio Corona for the final leg.
Santos Laguna vs. Leon: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Thursday, December 5
TIME: 10:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: Telemundo
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE
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