Injured Gignac set to miss Mexican Christmas Day final

(Reuters) - France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac will be taking a big risk if he plays for UANL Tigres in the second leg of the Mexican Apertura championship final at home to America on Christmas Day after suffering a neck injury, a specialist said. Gignac was injured during the first leg after scoring for Tigres in the 45th minute of a 1-1 draw at the Azteca on Thursday and specialist sports injury chiropractor Mercedes D'Acosta said he would need at least two weeks to recover. Paraguayan left back Bruno Valdez, who scored America's equaliser in the 67th minute, crashed into Gignac's back in the 76th and the Frenchman was carried off and taken to hospital where he was put in a neck brace. "When there is a cervical sprain, when there is damage to the ligaments that steady the neck … there is no way they can recover in less than two weeks," D'Acosta told the sports website Record (www.record.com.mx). Tigres have said Gignac is doubtful for the match in Monterrey. Gignac, top scorer in the Apertura with 17 goals, is looking to win his second LIGA MX title in his second season with Tigres. They are chasing a fifth league crown, while America are seeking a record 13th. The final was postponed from mid-December because America were taking part in the Club World Cup in Japan. (Reporting by Rex Gowar; editing by Martyn Herman)