Tigres manager Veljko Paunovic has revealed one secret weapon he has that could help beat Inter Miami on Saturday.
The two sides meet this weekend in the final group stage game of Leagues Cup, with Tigres last night confirming their and Inter Miami’s spot in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win against Mexican rivals Club Puebla.
With the Herons beating Puebla comfortably last weekend, Inter Miami will want to show their quality in a big way against Tigres, who have been historically one of the best teams in Mexico and all of North America in recent years.
And manager Paunovic has now revealed something that could give Tigres the edge over Inter Miami.
Tigres to lean on former Inter Miami coach Claudio Arzeno to beat the Herons
Speaking to the press after last night’s win against Puebla, Paunovic shared that he will be using the knowledge of Tigres coach Claudio Arzeno to help beat Inter Miami, with the Argentine previously an assistant with the Herons.
Part of the first coaching team of Inter Miami under Diego Alonso, Arzeno spent two years in Florida before moving on to Chivas Guadalajara in Mexico, where the former Las Palmas defender ended up at Tigres this season under Paunovic.
And the Serbian coach is now looking to put Arzeno to work on formulating a game plan to thwart Inter Miami, where a win for Tigres could go a long way in the Mexican giants snatching the Leagues Cup title from the Herons.
Paunovic when asked about facing Inter Miami: “The experience of coaching in MLS helps me a lot. However, I never faced them, they didn’t exist as a playing franchise, but one advantage we have in our favor is Claudio Arzeno, who worked there with Diego Alonso, it is a point of information for us.”
Inter Miami need to show why they’re Leagues Cup favorites
Even with Lionel Messi out injured, Inter Miami went into this tournament as the favorites, with the Florida franchise proving their credentials with one of their most comfortable wins in some time against Puebla.
And against Tigres away from Miami, Tata Martino’s side need to show why they’re the favorites for Leagues Cup, with a win against the Mexican giants huge for how this competition can unfold.
Indeed, Inter Miami can go all the way and retain their Leagues Cup title with a depleted squad, and beating Tigres will send a message to rival teams that the Herons aren’t here to mess around.