The Vancouver Whitecaps will be looking to punch their ticket out of the group stages when they welcome Club Tijuana to BC Place on Saturday night.

While Caps fans might feel a bit disappointed by their dropped points on Tuesday against LAFC, their shootout victory will leave them needing only a single point from Saturday’s match to guarantee their passage to the knockout stages. Avoiding defeat is the name of the game here.

Tijuana manager Juan Carlos Osorio went for rotation in their opening match against LAFC and got pumped 3-0. That included resting key midfielders and MLS veterans Joe Corona and Emmanuel Reynoso. It isn’t clear if Osorio is continuing his tinkering ways (they’ve played several different formations in Liga MX already this season) or if he is ambivalent about Leagues Cup.

With seven points in four matches in the Apertura Tijuana certainly aren’t a pushover. This has been a good recovery from the Clausura, when they dropped to near the bottom of the table. They’ve already markedly improved their offensive output over the spring season, led by Argentine winger Domingo Blanco, with Reynoso likely to play a starring role after his Minnesota exit. Their bevy of attacking talent and possession stats from Liga MX makes it clear they want the ball and that will certainly be the case on Saturday, as only a win will mean they advance. That will leave lots of chances on the counter, which was firing on all cylinders for Vancouver on Tuesday.

The Caps will have some lineup decisions as well, with some rotation on Tuesday even beyond the absence of Ryan Gauld. Yohei Takaoka sat, as did Andres Cubas and it wouldn’t surprise me if both returned for this one. Belal Halbouni has been in good form but has played two matches in a week, meaning Mathias Laborda will likely return to centerback.

The Caps’ strategy in this one will likely mirror their Tuesday approach in many respects, as they will try and limit any looks in the box and try and play through the wings to hit back on the counter without Gauld available to pull the strings. It worked well but Vancouver won’t be able to afford any lack of concentration that has plagued their inability to see out games. Vanni Sartini will miss the group stage finale after being sent off on Tuesday, a further wrinkle to watch on Saturday, as will the more muted presence of supporters in solidarity with U.S.-based opposition to Leagues Cup.

This is one where you’d expect the Caps to do what they need to do to get over the line, particularly given that Tijuana struggled mightily against LAFC. Tactically this should be a match-up that caters to the Caps’ style and returning home will be a boost. But they will need to ensure that ghosts of Tuesday’s blown lead don’t haunt them here.