There is still a lot to be decided as Liga MX enters its final weekend. ESPN FC's Liga MX correspondents Tom Marshall and Eric Gomez preview the must-see games on the final weekend of the Liga MX regular season.
Three playoff spots up for grabs
With Toluca, Santos Laguna, Club America, Monterrey and Tigres all already safely in the playoffs, only three other spots remain unclaimed.
Sixth-placed Pumas face Queretaro on Sunday and have an 81 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to the Soccer Power Index (SPI). A draw should be enough and Queretaro is playing for very little.
Seventh-placed Morelia's game on Friday against 10th-placed Necaxa will be key to the other matches this weekend. Necaxa (32 percent chance of making the playoffs) would leapfrog Morelia (64 percent) with a win and be very likely to make the Liguilla. But if Monarcas can come out victorious at home, then Necaxa would be out of the reckoning.
Ninth-placed Pachuca (59 percent) plays Atlas at Estadio Hidalgo and will be looking to pick up the three points and then hope that one the three teams above them slip up.
In eighth, Club Tijuana (58 percent) will be guaranteed a playoff spot with a win over Toluca, although the Diablos Rojos are going for a remarkable 10th consecutive victory and haven't even conceded a goal in their past three games.
Of the other teams, Puebla (5 percent) plays at Lobos BUAP, Cruz Azul (less than 1 percent) travels to Veracruz and Leon (less than 1 percent) is away at Chivas.
Mexican legends set to retire
Two of Mexico's best ever players look set to play their final games in Liga MX this weekend.
Rafa Marquez bid farewell to Atlas fans in last Friday's Clasico Tapatio, but will feature for Los Rojinegros away at Pachuca on Saturday and will likely receive a very good reception from both sets of supporters.
It'll be Marquez's last game in Mexico's first division, with the only question hanging over the 39-year-old being whether he will feature for El Tri at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and become only the third player to play at five different World Cups.
Chivas' Carlos Salcido was non-committal on his future after Guadalajara lifted the CONCACAF Champions League trophy on Wednesday after beating Toronto FC on penalties.
The 38-year-old may well be tempted by the prospect of playing at the Club World Cup in Dubai in December, although he has already put off retirement at least once and Saturday's relatively meaningless home game against Leon could well be his final as a professional. Chivas coach Matias Almeyda has previously suggested the club should build a statue of the player, who left school aged 11 to start work and only accidentally became a footballer.
Marquez's place as one of the top three Mexican players ever is secured, while Salcido would surely make the top 10, given his achievements for the national team, Chivas and in Europe. -- Tom Marshall
Title favorites clash in Monterrey for the Clasico Regio
Last season's finalists, Tigres and Monterrey, are antsy to clash again after a closely contested final in the Apertura 2017. The dramatic championship decider saw Tigres lift the league title for the sixth time, with the added bonus of doing it over their hated rivals.
This weekend, both teams will face each other looking to enter the playoffs on a high note. Monterrey, currently third -- boasts one of the best offenses in the league, with 28 goals. Tigres, on the other hand, has allowed just 14 goals in the Clausura 2018 -- only Toluca and Tijuana have allowed less.
The clash of opposing strengths will likely result in an entertaining and competitive match. In their last seven matches, including playoffs and the regular season, Tigres boasts three wins compared to Monterrey's two, with two draws between the sides during that span.
Though Toluca and Santos Laguna have made a strong case to be considered favorites this season, a meeting between Monterrey and Tigres in the playoffs, or even the final, still seems rather likely. Thus, Saturday's match at the Estadio Universitario seems a worthy primer as both teams veer into the playoffs.
America and Santos look to halt their slides prior to the playoffs
This Saturday's matchup between Club America and Santos is perhaps not only the best game available for fans to watch other than the Clasico Regio, but also the one with the biggest implications moving forward into the Liguilla.
Club America and Santos are both jostling for better position at the end of the regular season with the hope of attracting favorable matchups in the playoffs. The two clubs could both also do with a confidence boost following recent negative results that have dropped them in the table.
Both clubs need a winning result to boost their hopes of making a deep run in the postseason. With a win over Santos, Club America can overtake the Torreon side in the league table, while Santos can secure second place with a win of their own.
Monterrey and Tigres (third and fourth in the table, respectively) will clash this weekend -- setting up a potential dream scenario for Club America in which they can win and climb up the table and avoid a quarterfinal matchup with Tigres, a team they've struggled to beat of late. -- ErIc Gomez