Michael Perez, Chivas' midfielder: "We are not afraid of a rematch against Club America"
Michael Perez, Chivas' defensive midfielder, is not afraid of a rematch against Club America if they meet again in the playoffs. Perez is clear that if Chivas wants to be champion, they must defeat all their opponents, regardless of their greatness or present form. If they face America in the next round, they will assume it without fear.
"We have to surpass any opponent we face in order to become champions. I don't know if it's ideal. We want to defeat Necaxa and stay in fourth place. If we want to be champions, we have to beat any opponent."
Are you thinking about America?
"Right now, there's a possibility of facing America, but we are only thinking about Necaxa. We will decide what comes next afterwards."
Are you afraid to go to the Azteca?
"Not at all, we are not afraid to go to the Azteca."
Perez added that they will not play according to the scoreboard, nor will they seek a specific opponent for the quarterfinals. They will go out to win against Necaxa on Saturday by any means necessary.
"We are preparing to finish among the top four teams to receive all possible matches at home. We hope to win this match and stay in fourth place to receive the quarterfinals at home."
Perez was one of the best players in Almeyda's squad throughout the season, but he was not at his best in the victory against Cruz Azul. He was substituted at half-time. However, the defensive midfielder says that he has worked hard to recover his fitness and form after those mistakes.
"I have worked very hard these weeks to be back at 100%. It was a bad day, not one of my best matches, but I hope to regain the level we had during the tournament. The best player gets to play here, and that's why we always give our all in training and in every match. In that game, we talked about it, we realized our mistakes, and we quickly corrected all the details."
For this match at the red-and-white stadium, Perez and "Gallito" Vazquez will be in the midfield. They haven't been able to play together this semester, and Perez admires Vazquez for his performance with Leon.
"He is a great teammate first and foremost, and a great player. I admired him during his time at Leon, and it's an honor to play with him. As a player, you always want to be on the field and work hard to achieve it. Now it's my turn to play, and I know he is ready to take advantage of any mistake I make."
GPE