Disqualified by the 2009 influenza, the Guadalajara Sports Club was compensated in 2010 and managed to reach the second final in which a Mexican team participates.
After becoming champion of the 2009 Interliga Tournament, Chivas advanced directly to the Copa Libertadores, where they were grouped in Group 6 with Everton from Chile, Lanús from Argentina, and Caracas from Venezuela. The fight was close; however, the rojiblancos had no problem advancing as second with nine points, one below Caracas and one above Everton. The "chiverío" won two matches, drew three, and lost one, with nine goals in favor and six against.
Sao Paulo would be the rival of the rojiblancos in the round of 16, but the H1N1 flu pandemic caused the South Americans to refuse to travel to face Chivas. Another affected team was San Luis. The Mexican Football Federation supported their clubs and made the decision to withdraw from the tournament. One year later, both teams would be compensated by Conmebol and start the tournament in the same phase where they had been eliminated, meaning they already had a fixed place in the round of 16.
Chivas returned to the Copa Libertadores in 2010 weakened by the call-up of several of their players to the Mexican National Team with an eye on the World Cup in South Africa. They struggled to advance, actually. In the round of 16, they eliminated Vélez Sarsfield with a total score of 3-2, after winning 3-0 at the Jalisco and holding on for dear life against the comeback attempt at the José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires. Subsequently, the team led by José Luis Real faced Libertad from Paraguay; the first leg in Guadalajara ended with a 3-0 victory in favor of the "rebaño"; in the second leg, the "chiverío" withstood the Paraguayan insurgency thanks to the heroism of Liborio Sánchez.
In the semifinals, Chivas triumphed over University of Chile: a 1-1 draw in the first leg, played at the Azteca Stadium, and a 2-0 victory at the National Stadium gave the rojiblancos the pass, marking the second Copa Libertadores final for a Mexican team. The opponent: the formidable Inter de Porto Alegre, champions in 2006 and made up of players such as Andrés D'Alessandro (still on the roster), Leandro Damiao, Giuliano, and Pablo Guiñazú.