Tuzos aim to continue home-field dominance vs Toluca

Ricardo La Volpe takes his Toluca team into Estadio Hidalgo where Pachuca has proven to be unbeatable.

The Tuzos have been monsters at home this season and that is the only reason they currently hold a playoff spot, because their road play has been dismal. At Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca has destroyed five opponents, registering a 13-1 goal differential.

In their previous home game, the Tuzos smashed the 4th-place Xolos of Tijuana by a 4-0 score. With three more home games to follow, they know that dropping any points at home could foil their postseason dreams. So coach Martín Palermo will have his team ready to defend home turf.

Ricardo La Volpe returned to coaching in the Liga MX this month, taking a familiar seat on the Toluca bench. “El Bigotón” took over the mighty Diablos Rojos after they’d won three titles in the 1990s and helped leaded them to another in 2002. He then took over the reins at El Tri and led Mexico to the 2006 World Cup.

Back in Toluca, La Volpe has stopped the Diablos Rojos’ bleeding, going 1-1-0 in his two games. But it’s hard to know just yet if that was about new tactics and new guidance, or if it was circumstantial because Toluca their last two wins came against two of the worst teams in the league (Veracruz and Atlas). The game at Pachuca will be a true test for “El Bigotón.”

Last match

Cruz Azul 4, Pachuca 1

The Tuzos continued their horrendous form away from home, giving up a goal before the game was a minute old, then committing silly fouls (a penalty in minute 25) and scoring into their own net (Leo Ulloa, own goal, minute 59). You could possibly quibble with coach Palermo’s starting line-up, but the entire team underperformed, appearing to have no confidence at all.

Toluca 2, Atlas 0

The Diablos won their first home game of the year with an efficient performance. They let Atlas pass the ball around the back, but shut down passing lanes into the box, permitting only 2 shots on goal. Toluca outshot Atlas 11 -9 despite allowing the Zorros 59% possession. Youngster Alan Medina opened the scoring before the half hour and Rodrigo Salinas scored deep into injury time.

Possible line-ups

Pachuca: 4-4-2

Blanco

E. Hernández – Murillo – Barreiro – López

Aguirre – J. Hernández – Guzman – Cardona

Jara – Ulloa

This line-up could actually morph into a 4-2-3-1 with Víctor Guzman and Jorge Hernández anchoring the midfield and Leo Ulloa slipping back into a role behind Franco Jara. Or coach Palermo could start Ismael Sosa in Ulloa’s place. The Tuzos will also hope to see some marauding runs up the flanks by both Edwin Hernández and Raúl López.

Toluca: 5-3-2

Talavera

García – Mora – González – Tobio – Salinas

Mancuello – Rios – Mendoza

Gigliotti – Barrientos

La Volpe always liked the 5-man back line and its application here has shored up the defense tremendously. Osvaldo González and Fernando Tobio got cover for their shortcomings with a third central defender and Rodrigo Salinas regained the freedom to go forward on the right flank instead of always having to stay back to plug up gaps. The strike tandem of Emmanuel Gigliotti and Pablo Barrientos has yet to click this season.

Key players

Pachuca: Edwin Cardona has played inspired soccer at Estadio Hidalgo this season and he will need to guide the offense against Toluca. When he is on, his passing opens up space and the Tuzos have been able to exploit the resulting scoring chances.

Toluca: Luis Mendoza should be able to thrive in La Volpe’s tactical formation, and on Saturday he’d better be crisp in his passing and decision-making. If not, the Tuzos will run out on the counter with regularity.

Prediction

Both squads will be well-rested, and Víctor Guzmán saw little action with El Tri during the FIFA break, so this could be a fast-paced game. If Pachuca can protect against Toluca advances out wide, they could exploit the resulting space through the middle of the defense. If they do, Franco Jara could have a big game.