Who has the most points? Who is the leading goal scorer? Who’s stumbling down the stretch run?
The Liga MX just completed Matchday 17 and the playoff picture is slowly coming into view although only league-leading Santos has officially clinched a spot in the Liguilla and only four teams – FC Juárez, Toluca, Puebla and Veracruz – have officially been eliminated from the postseason dance.
Add up the numbers and that means, 14 teams are vying for the remaining seven playoff spots, and no, Guadalajara has not been mathematically eliminated just yet.
Speaking of math, stats, totals and differentials are starting to get more important with only two games remaining. Numbers tell the story and Liga MX fans would likely have little trouble adding up the answers to the above questions (Santos Laguna – 33; Necaxa’s Mauro Quiroga – 10; Atlas – 3 straight losses).
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points for each of four teams – Necaxa, Querétaro, Tigres and América – all of whom are jostling for second place behind league-leading Santos.
Necaxa is in second thanks to its goal-scoring. The Rayos, Gallos Blancos and Tigres are all tied in goal differential (+11), but Necaxa is in second because it has 31 goals, Querétaro has 26 and the Tigres have 24. The Aguilas are in fifth with just a +5 differential.
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consecutive road games in which the Chivas have given up at least one goal.
Guadalajara won’t mind having extended the streak too much this past weekend since they defeated Toluca 3-1 at the Estadio Nemesio Diez. The Chivas do not play another road game this season.
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times Santos has been atop the Liga Mx standings during the Apertura 2019.
Only two other teams have been in first place through Matchday 17 – Necaxa (three times) and Querétaro (three times). The Guerreros of Santos Laguna are guaranteed another week atop the standings since they have a 5-point lead over second-place Necaxa. Lest you think this is a record for Santos, the Guerreros sat in first place after 14 of the 18 matchdays during the Apertura 2007 tournament. That season, eighth-seeded UNAM upset top-seeded Santos in the quarterfinals.
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wins for Santos Laguna.
The Guerreros are the only Liga MX team with double digits in victories.
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goals for Alan Pulido (Chivas), the top-ranking Mexican on the Liga MX goal-scoring charts.
The Chivas striker scored twice against Toluca on Sunday to break a tie with León’s José Juan Macías, last season’s top Mexican scorer. Macías and Pulido played together at Guadalajara during the Apertura 2018 season.
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coaching changes during the Apertura 2019 season.
And there will be at least two other coaches moving on before the Clausura 2020 as Toluca has already told Ricardo La Volpe that he will not be retained and the Chivas are expected to move on from Luis Fernando Tena. A third coach could also change jerseys as Necaxa’s Guillermo Vázquez is out of contract in December and oddsmakers are betting that he gets an interview for the soon-to-be vacated Guadalajara job.
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consecutive games without a loss for the Tigres.
The six-game unbeaten streak is the longest in Liga MX right now and the 4-2-0 stretch has assured the defending champs of a spot in the post-season. The Tigres last loss was a stunning 1-0 home loss to Puebla.