Gotham FC vs Tigres UANL Femenil preview: The biggest Champions Cup game

The CONCACAF W Champions Cup is almost done for the year when NJ/NY Gotham FC plays against Tigres UANL Femenil in the final match of the group round.  With the next round all but guaranteed for the Bats, the tournament will not resume until May of next year.

However, Gotham FC would prefer to win their group.  To do that, they must earn all three points against Tigres.  It will not be easy, for the Mexican team is currently in first place in their group.  They are also in first in league play, which highlights they are one of the stronger sides in CONCACAF.  The NWSL team must enter this fixture as if they are playing one of the best sides in the United States.  They will not score 13 as they did against Frazsiers Whip Football Limited.  They will still likely need at least a few goals.

There is plenty of attacking talent to choose from as well.  Since Ella Stevens did not start over the weekend against the Chicago Red Stars, she would be the perfect player to begin the game.  Then, Juan Carlos Amorós should choose Lynn Williams or Yazmeen Ryan to start on the wings, resting one of them.  If he chooses to rest Ryan, then it would be great to see Jéssica Silva or Bruninha get the start in the attack.  For Williams, Cece Kizer should start.

It will be interesting to see how the Gotham head coach chooses his roster with the Orlando Pride weekend match in mind.  Here is a preview of the upcoming fixture against Tigres.

Date 

Gotham FC and Tigres will face one another on Wednesday, October 16.

Time

The fixture is at 8:00 PM ET.

Location

The match will occur at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.

How to watch

Fans can watch the game Paramount+.

Weather

It will be a chilly evening throughout the game.  The temperature will be about 51 degrees and there will be clear skies.  It will be slightly windy at 8 mph.

Injury Report

Midge Purce (knee) and Kelley O’Hara (knee) are out for the year while Abby Smith remains on the season-ending injury list (lower leg).

The injury report is otherwise unknown since the teams do not release one for the Champions Cup.  Crystal Dunn (excused absence) and Svava Guðmundsdóttir (excused absence) have been on the recent NWSL reports though, so one can assume they will be out.  Tierna Davidson will be questionable since she came off injured during the Chicago fixture.

Players to watch

Gotham FC fans should watch Amorós to see what he does with the Starting XI.  The NJ/NY team will want to win their group, but they also have a big game against Orlando over the weekend.  So, who will the head coach start and who will he rest?  This is something to keep an eye on.

On Tigres, supporters should pay attention to Lizbeth Ovalle.  The winger has spent her entire career with Tigres and is constantly a goal-scoring threat.  She has 13 goals in Liga MX Femenil in the Apertura.  Although, she has not scored in the Champions Cup.  She will be one to watch though, and ideally, the Bats can shut her down.

Prediction

Gotham FC knows they must win, and their recent form makes the idea promising.  Therefore, the prediction is that the Bats will beat Tigres 2-1.  The Liga MX Femenil team will make the Bats work, but two goals throughout the 90 minutes will secure first place in Group A.