The forward has faced América nine times, with seven defeats and two draws
Chivas, their fans, and the rojiblanco coach, Veljko Paunovic, maintain faith in overturning the scoreline in the Clásico Nacional for the semifinals of Clausura 2023. However, the mission is not easy as the tapatíos have to defeat América by two goals. In addition to good collective play, they also need individual performances, such as that of the current idol of Rebaño, Alexis Vega, who has not been a factor in previous editions of the great classic since his time at Chivas. Why hasn't he been able to score against the 'azulcremas'?
Alexis Vega arrived at Chivas from Toluca in Clausura 2019 as a standout player with high expectations. The Chivas fans get excited about a player when they come through and are an important factor in a relevant match, such as the Clásico Nacional, especially if it's a step closer to returning to a Mexican football final.
On the other hand, Alexis Vega has not been able to score a goal against América in regular season or final matches. The player from the tapatío team acknowledged his pending account: "It weighs me down a lot. I haven't been at peace, I haven't had the chance to score; at Toluca I scored a couple. Now I have this jersey," he said prior to the Clásico Nacional in matchday 12 of Clausura 2023, in which Chivas were humiliated at the Akron with a score of 2-4.
In the nine tournaments that Alexis Vega has played with Chivas, he has participated in nine Clásico Nacional matches against América, and Rebaño has not come out on top in any of them: six defeats, two draws, and the first leg of the semifinal was the seventh loss.
The only occasion in which Chivas defeated América was in the quarterfinals of Apertura 2020; however, Alexis Vega was unavailable due to injury and in the second leg, Víctor Manuel Vucetich decided not to give him any minutes.
Next Sunday, Chivas will arrive at Estadio Azteca for the second leg of the semifinals against América. Guadalajara needs to win by a two-goal margin.