Heading into the first leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinals, a large question is looming over the Columbus Crew and head coach Wilfried Nancy. Will star striker Juan “Cucho” Hernandez feature in this critical matchup? Cucho was left out of the squad for the Crew’s 2-2 draw against Nashville SC on Saturday. When asked about Hernandez’s absence, Nancy said that it was due to, “team policy.”
Reporters looked for more insight but Nancy wouldn’t provide it.
“We’ll see what we’re going to do,” Nancy said following the draw Saturday about Hernandez’s availability for Concacaf Champions League.
The absence follows Cucho seeming to disagree with his substitution from the Crew’s match against Charlotte FC and showing that frustration while speaking with coaches on the sideline as Nancy was absent due to an illness. The situation was downplayed following that match, but leaving him out of the squad could’ve been Nancy’s way of dealing with it.
With four goals and one assist in all competitions to kick off the season following scoring 21 goals and assisting eight last season, his availability will make or break the Crew in the match.
Due to thunderstorms in the area, kickoff won’t happen until at least 8:45 p.m. ET despite being scheduled for 7 p.m. initially.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, April 2 | Time: 8:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Lower.com Field — Columbus, Ohio
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Columbus Crew +100; Draw +210; Tigres +230
Storylines
Columbus Crew: Cucho may be looming over this match, but he’s not the only player to watch for the Crew as Aidan Morris and Diego Rossi will play large roles in the clash. There would be no better way to put the weekend behind them than by scoring a few goals to put the team into good standing ahead of going to Mexico for leg two.
Tigres UNAL: When thinking about Mr. Champions League, names like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come to mind but in Concacaf, someone rising the ranks in that discussion is Anre-Pierre Gignac. The Tigres forward has had a knack for scoring in big moments and has 18 Champions Cup goals to his name which is good for the fourth most in the competition’s history. Along with Hernandez, Gignac is someone who will have a say in this tie.
Prediction
The Crew will get out to a fast start at home behind Cucho’s return to play. While they’ll alow a pesky away goal, winning is more important. Pick: Columbus Crew 2, Tigres 1
