Pumas and America face off this Sunday in the second leg of the Torneo Clausura 2026 quarter-finals in Liga MX. The match will be held at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario.
America’s Injury Woes
Pumas only have one player absent, Memo Martínez, due to his call-up to the Mexican national team. America have a significant number of players unavailable. Cristian Borja and Sebastián Cáceres are recent additions to the injury list after the first leg at Estadio Banorte Azteca.
First Leg Thriller
In the first leg, Universidad Nacional quickly took the lead with a goal from Juninho Vieira. Isaías Violante soon equalised. Uriel Antuna then capitalised on a rebound from Rodolfo Cota to regain the lead, and Jordan Carrillo scored a great goal to extend the lead.
However, a penalty was awarded to America after a foul by Adalberto Carrasquilla on Rodrigo Dourado, which Henry Martín converted. Shortly after, another penalty was given for a foul by Nathan Silva on Martín, who allowed Alejandro Zendejas to take it, resulting in a 3-3 draw.
AI Prediction Favours Pumas
Although a hard-fought match is expected, Google’s Gemini AI predicts Pumas will advance to the next phase with a narrow score. America know how to play in the Liguilla, but their absences could be a major factor, though they are still expected to put up a fight. During the regular season, the Olímpico Universitario was a fortress, with UNAM only losing one match there, against current two-time champion Toluca, while recording five wins and three draws.
America are obligated to win, which Pumas could exploit by counter-attacking and taking advantage of the spaces left by their opponents, who may become desperate as time runs out. The predicted score is Pumas 2-1 America (Global: 5-4).
Pumas’ Home Advantage
The team will be counting on their home form. UNAM only lost one match at Olímpico Universitario during the regular phase.
Pumas could exploit the need for America to win, and take advantage of spaces left by their opponents.
The Inteligencia Artificial Gemini de Google is predicting that Pumas will advance to the next phase by a narrow margin.