Gonzalo Piovi Injury: Fitness issues continue

Piovi is expected to miss the first leg against Leon as he struggles to fully recover from a muscle injury, Fox Sports reported Tuesday.

Piovi played some minutes in an April 23 clash with Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions Cup after being sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring problem, but the discomfort returned and he was unable to take part in recent training sessions. The defender will likely be reserved in the initial playoffs game and could be ready for the second leg of the quarterfinals. However, it's the immediate contest where his loss hurts the team the most, given that Willer Ditta is suspended. This leaves Carlos Vargas and youngster Cristian Jimenez as natural alternatives, and the deployment of Jose Ignacio Rivero at center-back as another resource if experience is prioritized.