Players from Municipal (pictured) celebrate advancing to the Guatemalan Apertura final after defeating Marquense at the Estadio Marquesa de la Ensenada in San Marcos on December 14, 2014. (Photo: Omar Solis Diaz).

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Four-time defending champion Comunicaciones will launch its bid to equal Municipal’s record of 29 Guatemalan titles, when they square off in the first leg of 2014 Apertura final on Thursday at the Estadio Mateo Flores.

With a place in the 2015/16 CONCACAF Champions League at stake, this will be the 18th time that the long-time rivals clash in the curtain closer since the introduction of short tournaments in 1999.  Over that stretch, Municipal has lifted the trophy on 10 occasions as compared to Comunicaciones’ seven, triumphing most recently in the 2014 Clausura.

Remarkably, in 282 all-time meetings between them, both have 96 wins to go along with 90 draws.

Comunicaciones is led by head coach Willy Olivera, who has been in the post since June.  The 48-year-old replaced Ivan Sopegno after the Argentine left to manage the Guatemala national team.  Under the Uruguayan’s leadership, the Cremas topped the regular-season table with 43 points and got past Suchitepequez in the semifinals (2-1 agg).

"As a player, you imagine being champion,” said midfielder Jorge Aparicio, 22.  "I'm going to give, as well as my colleagues, one hundred percent to win the title.”

In October, following Anibal Ruiz’s resignation, another Uruguayan -- 61-year-old Manuel Keosseian -- returned to lead Municipal for a third time.  The Rojos recovered from a slow start to finish the regular season in third place with 39 points.  They edged Antigua GFC in the quarterfinals (2-1 agg), before prevailing over Marquense in the semifinals (5-1 agg).

"Now we are one,” expressed Municipal defender Hamilton Lopez.  “Thank God we reached the final and we will try to win it.”

The native of Jutiapa went on to praise the team’s unity and then stressed: "We’re going on the road to get the 30th cup!”

Municipal has not won the Guatemalan crown since the 2011 Apertura.