MEXICO CITY, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tigres UANL manager Guido Pizarro said Tuesday his team will seek to take the initiative against Cruz Azul when the clubs meet in the first leg of their Liga MX Apertura semifinal.
Tigres need only to draw the two-legged tie to reach the final due to its superior regular season record. But Pizarro said he didn't want to take any chances on Wednesday against a visiting Cruz Azul outfit that has lost only once at home this campaign.
"We will go out to be protagonists; we are not going to speculate about the second leg, but rather look for a great result there," the Argentine head coach told a news conference.
"Cruz Azul has a lot of very good players, and the manager [Nicolas Larcamon] has stamped his style, his essence. It will be a difficult contest, and we have worked on what we have to do."
Tigres finished the regular season in second place before overcoming Tijuana in the quarterfinals. Cruz Azul, meanwhile, advanced to the last four by ending the regular season third in the 18-team standings and then defeating Guadalajara in the quarterfinals.
Pizarro said his team had made progress since losing to Toluca in the semifinals of the Clausura tournament in May. And he underlined the confidence gained from a 5-0 home win over Club Tijuana in their quarterfinal second leg last Saturday.
"We've taken steps forward," the 35-year-old said. "We've had more time working together and the level of our individual players has also improved in many cases."
"It is heartening to see my players perform like they did the other day, and to see the impact that has on the fans. My aim since I arrived has been to lift the overall standard of our performances, and we intend to keep doing that."
The winner on aggregate will face either Toluca or Monterrey in the final over two legs on December 11 and 14. ■
