America got a great result at the Alfonso Lastras Stadium, against St. Louis Athleticin the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Clausura 2023 of the Liga MX. The Eagles prevailed by a score of 1-3 as visitors and practically have a foot and a half in the semifinals of the tournament, however, not everything was hunky-dory for the cream-blue team. For the second leg, Fernando Ortiz’s team will lose Israel Reyesan important element in defensive matters.
At minute 83 of the first leg against the San Luis, Reyes received a direct red card for cutting off a dangerous advance by San Luis near his area. Facing the return duel, Fernando Ortiz has already determined who will be the player to replace him: Nestor Araujo. The former Celta de Vigo player will be ‘Tano’s’ bet for the important game this Saturday May 13 at the Azteca Stadium.
Given the expulsion of Israel Reyes, Araujo is the natural option to take his place in the starting eleven. The 31-year-old Mexican defender would form the center-back together with the Uruguayan Sebastián Cáceres. The player of the Mexican National Team will receive a new opportunity as a starter after losing the site. In the Clausura 2023, the defender from Guadalajara, Jalisco, was relegated to a secondary role and played just 722 minutes in the regular season.
?? First change of ‘Tano’ Ortiz: Néstor Araujo aims to be the starter for the America vs. saint Louishttps://t.co/ifNSxdCimX#LiguillaEnTUDN | #SOMOSAMERICA | #TUClausura2023
— TUDN MEX (@TUDNMEX) May 11, 2023
Despite the fact that América has an almost unbeatable advantage against San Luis, a sector of Azulcremas fans are concerned about the inclusion of Néstor Araujo in the starting lineup due to the low level that the defender has shown in recent months.
Araujo, who arrived at Nido de Coapa in July 2022, will have a golden opportunity to show his condition and look for more minutes in the league.
