Carrasquilla refuses to get comfortable despite Brian Rodriguez's absence for Clasico Capitalino

Without Brian Rodriguez on the field, America loses a key piece of its attack. And Pumas knows it all too well. The Clasico Capitalino goes down on Saturday, November 7 at Ciudad Universitaria, with the Eagles forced to take the field without their 'Rayito,' an absence the Pumas see as a chance to close the gap toward the liguilla.

Adalberto Carrasquilla was clear when asked about the situation: Rodriguez's offensive weight is something you can't ignore, but it's also not something Pumas is going to build its game plan around.

Honestly, those of us here know Brian (Rodriguez) and his profile, and I think he's very important to the opposing team's attack, but I really believe our focus is on what we do, we're at home, we're more in need than they are, and we have to come out hungry. In the end, I think what matters most is what we do.Adalberto Carrasquilla

Home turf as the last refuge

Pumas has something valuable working in its favor at this stage: its final two matches of the tournament are both at home, right when it needs points the most to reach the liguilla. That's why Carrasquilla doesn't hesitate to put the spotlight on the fans, especially with the kind of atmosphere expected for the Clasico Capitalino.

The Panamanian recalled that the start of the season wasn't easy at Ciudad Universitaria, after a shift in playing philosophy cost the team some points early on. Now, with the liguilla on the line, he insists what matters is how the tournament ends.

I think the change we made at the start of the season was key, we switched to a different idea from what we'd been working on, and the way we started out playing at home, like you mentioned, made it tough for us to get results in those first matches. I think at this stage what matters is how we close it out.Adalberto Carrasquilla

'Coco' went further and left a clear message for the fans heading to the stadium: without them, he said, the job gets a lot harder. "The fans know we need them, because in this match more than ever we depend on our home field, and without them it would be impossible to win. Pumas never gives up," he added.

Win first, look around later

The reality is Pumas doesn't control its own fate when it comes to reaching the liguilla. It needs to beat America and then Rayados, and on top of that, hope results from its direct rivals fall its way. A scenario that demands, above all, not slipping up in its own matches.

Carrasquilla was direct about how the squad is handling that pressure: the group is well aware of what's at stake, but the priority is taking care of what's in their own hands. "I think the group is aware of what we're playing for, we're focused on doing our job and getting results, and we'll see what happens in the other matches, but what matters most is our own business," he explained.

The midfielder also pointed out that, despite all the changes the team has gone through, Pumas has finally found its own style of play. Now it's about applying it at the right moment. "The team has now found its style of play after all the changes we went through, but Saturday is the most important match, and then we'll think about the last one and hope the other results go our way," Carrasquilla said.