Pumas In search for three points

Pumas UNAM seeks to start on the right foot when they host Queretaro in their opening game of the Liga MX Guard1anes 2020.

The bad thing about playing in less than a few hours is that on Thursday morning, Pumas announced the departure of Head Coach Michel due to personal reasons. The club assigned Andres Lillini as the Interim coach, who knows that he depends on his result and might keep him.

It is doubtful as to who will fill the vacant position. Pumas released an official statement on Twitter saying:

"“This morning, José Miguel González, Míchel, decided, for personal reasons, to separate from the institution. His decision was shared with the players and the rest of the coaching staff, who said goodbye to him in the early hours of the day.During the start of the Guard1anes 2020 Tournament, Andrés Lillini will be the coach on an interim basis.The Club thanks the work and professionalism of Míchel, who wishes him success in his future projects.”"

The Auriazules face Queretaro at home on Sunday, a team that they hadn’t beaten at home since 2016 when Pumas overcame Los Gallos 4-1. Since that victory, they have faced a draw and a loss at home. In the last ten encounters between these two, Pumas has a 3-3-4 record. Not a solid performance against them, but these games always turn out to be anyone’s game.

Carlos Gonzalez and Juan Dinnenno will have to step up their goal-scoring chances to give all the Auriazules fans hope. Having solid performances and taking advantage of the opportunities they have will hand the team a real chance of fighting for the title. Before the cancellation of Clausura 2020, Pumas sat in the sixth position with 15 out of 30 points. Defensively awful with 19 goals conceded, they saw their mistakes. They look to improve with the likes of Alfredo Talavera protecting their net now.

Unconvincing in the Copa GNP, although it was a friendly tournament, the Auriazulez didn’t quite look as solid as one would have thought. Pumas failed to make it to the semifinals having lost embarrassingly to Cruz Azul and picked up back-to-back draws with America and Toluca. The players and coaching staff know they have work to do, facing Queretaro will be a great challenge to them to raise any hope for the team.

A win at the end of the 90 minutes will come in handy, knowing they have a subtle way to mid-tournament. Following their match against Queretaro, they’ll face off against Atlas and Juarez before colliding forces against Monterrey. Exciting games are ahead of the Universitario’s schedule, but a good result in each game is the number one priority.