Liga MX: Monterrey gets a chance to put Copa MX behind them against Veracruz
After losing 2-0 to Cruz Azul in the Copa MX final, Monterrey gets a better-looking matchup against Veracruz in Liga MX.
Despite playing well in the Copa MX final against Cruz Azul, Monterrey were not able to take full advantage of their chances and came away empty-handed. Now, with full attention on the Liga MX Apertura, Los Rayados face-off with Veracruz. For as much of a dumpster fire as Los Tiburones Rojos have been off-the-pitch, their season on-the-pitch has only been slightly better. Last in goals conceded by eight goals, Veracruz has shown flashes of decent play, only to lose any momentum from week to week. They are on their third manager this season, and surely have their focus on bettering their side for the 2019 Clausura, rather than being overly results-driven for the remainder of this Apertura.
Last Match
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Monterrey: L @ Santos Laguna 1-0
Against the suffocating defense of Santos Laguna, Monterrey was unable to generate enough to get the ball past Jonathan Orozco. Julio Furch scored 17 minutes into the match and that lone goal stood over the remainder of the time.
Veracruz: L v Pachuca 3-2
Los Tiburones Rojos fell behind Pachuca after Franco Jara scored in the 36th minute. Then, another Jara goal in the 64th, preceded by a goal from Victor Guzman just two minutes earlier put Veracruz in a hole of which they were unable to climb out. An Oscar Murillo own-goal helped a bit and Cristian Menendez scored his 6th goal of the campaign, but ultimately, there wasn’t enough offense to overpower the much-better Pachuca.
Predicted Lineups
Monterrey: 3-5-2
Barovero
Molina – Sanchez – Montes
Gutierrez – Gonzalez – Ortiz – Hurtado – Vangioni
Pabon – Funes Mori
For me, Rogelio Funes Mori should be starting. His performance in the Copa MX final on Wednesday showed him to be dangerous in the final-third, and Monterrey need the scoring spark. Diego Alonso hasn’t seemed to be able to find the right mix of players to unlock the massive potential this side has, but perhaps he’ll have finally figured something out this weekend against a weaker opponent.
Veracruz: 4-4-2
Gallese
Paganoni – Caicedo – Rivas – Mares
Murillo – Caragena – Ruiz – Luna
Menéndez – Chávez
Cristian Menendez leads Veracruz with six of their 14 goals scored. He’s been far-and-away their best player in the Apertura, but he needs help. No idea where that help is coming from. This roster is pretty bare at the moment, but they should get normal starting right-back Jesus Paganoni returning from red-card suspension this week, which may provide some assistance in the defense category. It also may not.
Key Players
Monterrey: Aviles Hurtado
Hurtado was such an important player for Los Rayados last season, but he’s struggled this season, appearing in just 12 matches and starting just 10 of the 14. Last year he was an automatic starter. Here is a good match to find that form heading into Liguilla.
Veracruz: Pedro Gallese
“Pedro Gallese probably has trouble sleeping at night, unconsciously making reflex saves every few seconds.” Tom Buckley wrote that line last week and it is so perfect I’m leaving it for this week. Gallese will be busy. Monterrey looked solid in the Copa MX final with a less than full-strength team.
Prediction
Monterrey will roll in this one. Veracruz will probably sneak out a goal because Liga MX. The result will be the same, regardless. Monterrey wins three points and inches closer to securing a spot in Liguilla, which seems like a forgone conclusion, anyway.