It is finally with fans in the stands of the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City that CF Montreal will face Cruz Azul on Wednesday night.
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The two teams will play the first match of their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final. The violent events in Querétaro on Saturday raised the possibility that the meeting would take place behind closed doors.
Head coach Wilfried Nancy admitted he wouldn’t have hated if the stands were empty on Wednesday night.
“I was surprised at first that it was without spectators. I’m still surprised, but that’s how it is. We’ll go with it, it would have been great to play behind closed doors. »
Cruz Azul currently sits fifth in the LigaMX Winter Championship. However, the formation of the Federal District is going through a difficult streak with only one victory in its last five championship duels (1-3-1).
In addition to La Liga, the Mexicans have also faced Hamilton’s Forge in the Champions League Round of 16, giving a total of nine games in a month, including Wednesday night’s clash.
The team is tired and has a few injuries, but Nancy doesn’t think it’s to her group’s advantage.
“I don’t know if we are coming at the right time, I know that the coach [du Cruz Azul] turned around a lot [son effectif], he said he wanted to do it in both games. Whether we take them now or later, we want to bring back something good to have something to do in front of our supporters. »
Of the four MLS teams playing in the quarter-finals, CF MTL are the only one to play the first leg away and host the second leg, which is a significant advantage in the eyes of defender Alistair Johnston.
“People don’t realize it, but it’s a discovery phase, especially in the first 45 minutes. »
“So it’s a big advantage to play the second game at home because we know the opponent better and we find ourselves in front of our supporters. »
All it takes is for the team to put on a clean and consistent performance for them to be in a good position next week at the Olympic Stadium.
It is with only Kei Kamara as forward, who played 90 minutes on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union, that CF Montreal comes to Mexico.
The attack is decimated and it’s not because the training regimen is too hard, as has happened at the start of the season in the past.
“Apart from Mason’s injury [Toye]who injured himself while making a pass, the cases of Bjørn [Johnsen] and Sunusi [Ibrahim] are beyond our control, and Romell [Quioto] is suspended. It’s the first time in my career that we have four attackers on the floor, ”explained Nancy.
Samuel Piette is still hampered by a foot injury sustained with the Canadian national team.
