UNAM Pumas, which was unbeaten in the first 11 matches of the regular season and finished second overall, is favored in the finals of the Mexican Clausura championship, the first leg of which is
Thursday (9:30 pm ET, Azteca America). UNAM, aiming for its seventh title, has recahed the final three times in the last four years.
Morelia, which finished third in the regular season,
will be without coach Tomas Boy and striker Miguel Sabah, both suspended for their parts in a fight during the semifinal against Cruz Azul. Boy was hit with a
six-match ban, while Sabah got a three-game suspension after a supporter ran onto the field and provoked a violent free-for-all.
Morelia won that game 3-0 to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the
first leg. Pumas beat Morelia, 1-0, in the 10th round in the regular season and has not lost to Morelia since February 2009.