Alajuelense and UNAM Pumas will square off in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie on Thursday (March 13th). The game will be played at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.
The visitors hold a two-goal advantage in the tie, having claimed a 2-0 home win in the first leg in Mexico last week. Robert Egras broke the deadlock in the 38th minute while Rogerio Funes doubled the advantage in the 73rd to help Los Auriazules secure the win. The winner of this tie faces either Monterrey or Vancouver Whitecaps in the quarterfinal.
Alajuelense followed up their continental defeat with a 2-1 comeback away win over Herediano in the Costa Rican Primera Division. They went behind to Marcel Hernandez's 13th-minute penalty while Celso Borges equalized on the half-hour mark. Jeison Lucumi scored the match-winner in the 56th minute.
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UNAM, meanwhile, claimed a 3-1 comeback away win over Puebla in Liga MX. Facundo Martiarena put their hosts ahead in the 11th minute but they were reduced to 10 men when Brayan Angulo was sent off for two bookable offenses. UNAM made their numerical advantage count with Piero Quispe, Guillermo Martinez and Ali Avila scoring second-half goals to help their side claim all three points.
Alajuelense vs Pumas Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Last week's clash was the first meeting between the two sides.
- Alajuelense's 2-1 loss last week ended a run of 10 successive games involving less than three goals.
- Pumas' six away games across competitions this season have witnessed goals at both ends and also produced three goals or more.
- Alajuelense's last five home games have produced less than three goals, with four games in this run seeing at least one side keep a clean sheet.
- Alajuelense have won 10 and drawn four of their last 14 home games.
Alajuelense vs Pumas Prediction
Alajuelense are aiming to win a third CONCACAF Champions Cup and first since 2004. They have to first overturn a two-goal deficit to remain alive in the competition and their imperious home form means it cannot be ruled out.
Pumas were on a four-game losing run ahead of the first leg last week but that win has injected a new wave of confidence and they will be seeking to win three successive games for the first time since September 2024.
We are backing the two sides to cancel each other out in a high-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Alajuelense 2-2 Pumas
Alajuelense vs Pumas Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
