Mon May 19 00:20:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a rewritten news article:

**Summary:**

The text previews the second leg of the Liga MX semi-final between Cruz Azul and América. Cruz Azul holds a 1-0 advantage after the first leg, but América’s higher seed means a tie in aggregate score would favor them. The first leg saw a Cruz Azul victory with a goal from Ignacio Rivero, who was later sent off, as was América’s coach André Jardine. América will host the second leg at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, which is sold out. Cruz Azul seeks to advance and prevent América from winning a fourth consecutive championship, while América hopes to avoid another defeat to Cruz Azul after being eliminated by them in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Jorge Pietrasanta believes Toluca coach wants to face América in the final. The article also lists the probable starting lineups for both teams.

**News Article:**

**Cruz Azul Defends Slim Lead Against América in Heated Liga MX Semi-Final Decider**

**Mexico City, Mexico** – Cruz Azul enters Sunday’s second leg of their Liga MX semi-final clash against Club América with a narrow 1-0 advantage, but faces a daunting task as they visit a sold-out Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes. The first leg, played at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, saw Ignacio Rivero’s header give La Máquina the lead, only for Rivero to be sent off later in the match. América’s coach, André Jardine, was also ejected for dissent, adding fuel to an already intense rivalry.

Despite playing with a man advantage for much of the second half, América failed to capitalize, leaving the tie finely balanced. Crucially, América’s higher position in the league standings means that an aggregate tie would see them advance to the final. Therefore, América only needs one goal to tie the score in aggregate.

The pressure is on América to avoid a repeat of their recent Concacaf Champions Cup elimination at the hands of Cruz Azul. They are chasing a historic fourth consecutive Liga MX title, a feat Cruz Azul is determined to prevent.

ESPN Deportes analyst Jorge Pietrasanta speculates that Toluca’s manager is eager to face América in the final, implying a belief that América might be a preferable opponent.

The highly anticipated match kicks off on Sunday and will be broadcast on TUDN and Vix Premium. Here are the probable starting lineups:

* **América:** Luis Malagón, Sebastián Cáceres, Israel Reyes, Kevin Álvarez, Cristian Borja, Jonathan Dos Santos, Álvaro Fidalgo, Erick Sánchez, Alejandro Zendejas, Víctor Dávila, Henry Martín
* **Cruz Azul:** Kevin Mier, Willer Ditta, Jesús Orozco, Gonzálo Piovi, Jorge Sánchez, Omar Campos, Erik Lira, Lorenzo Faravelli, Carlos Rodríguez, Mateusz Bogusz, Ángel Sepúlveda

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