With less than 36 hours until Toluca and Cruz Azul define the supremacy of Liga MX with the title of Champion of Champions, tension and expectation increase in the city of Los Angeles, California. The World Cup atmosphere is felt in the United States, where both clubs are already fine-tuning the last details of their tactical arsenals.

Emmanuel “Tito” Villa, Univision TUDN analyst and in charge of broadcasting the match, shared his perspective with La Opinión on this clash of giants. For the former soccer player, the game is on a very thin line where there are no clear favorites, but there are factors that could tip the balance immediately. The most worrying for the Scarlets is, without a doubt, the possible loss of their reference in attack: Paulinho.

The Paulinho factor and the obligation not to speculate

For Villa, the absence of the Portuguese striker in Toluca's offensive scheme would represent an extremely hard blow and would put the squad led by Antonio Mohamed at a disadvantage. In a single-game duel that is usually defined by millimeter details, losing a man of that hierarchy is giving too much respite.

However, the analyst trusts in the Mexican team's ability to react: "Not having a forward of Paulinho's level is important, but I think Toluca already knows how to solve that lack on the field. Regardless of the fact that said forward is not there, I think that the Champion of Champions match will not be one for speculation," Villa highlighted in a forceful manner.

The headquarters in California adds an extra ingredient of motivation and spectacle, something that "Tito" knows perfectly well from previous experiences in which the public in the United States gives itself completely to the Mexican clubs. "It is very difficult for the Campeón de Campeones to go out and speculate. Let's see, it is a match where, in general, the stadium is always full, right? Because the people in Los Angeles enjoy it a lot. I have had to go, even when Cruz Azul was not involved; I It was time to cover the last one, it was América against Toluca, and it was also a great open game. I don't remember if it ended 3-2 or 3-1, but it was spectacular,” he recalled with enthusiasm. Mohamed's experience against Huiqui's push.

Beyond the names on the field, the technical bench will offer a very interesting tactical chess. Villa highlighted that we will witness a clash between two completely opposite realities and styles: on the one hand, the fang, seniority and robust resume of Antonio “Turco” Mohamed; on the other, the drive, hunger and winning inertia of a young coach who has had a very positive streak.

The analyst revealed details of a recent talk he had with the cement strategist, making it clear that the ambition in La Noria is at its peak for this demanding season. "Yesterday I had a space to be with Huiqui and there we talked, where the Cruz Azul coach highlighted that in 31 games that they will play in the semester they will be able to fight for four titles. For that reason, he assured me that they are getting ready to continue growing and that this growth is full of pleasant surprises," he noted.

To conclude, "Tito" Villa emphasized that streaks and emotional moments play a mystical role in this sport, something that today seems to smile on the helmsman of the Machine. "Huiqui has it straight and that can be an advantage, because in football there are these stories like that of the Cruz Azul coach who in seven games was crowned champion, while for others years pass and pass and they achieve nothing. This is strange football, but full of joys," he concluded. the analyst, leaving the table set for an epic battle in Los Angeles.