Liga MX Preview: Chivas meet Monterrey at the Estadio Akron

Friday 27th September

Puebla vs Juárez
Querétaro vs Necaxa
Tigres vs León
Tijuana vs Mazatlán

Puebla's 3-2 loss to Pachuca last week means that this is a must-win fixture if they have any ambitions of reaching the playoffs this season. They host a Juárez side that has lost 4 out of its last 5 games, conceding 12 goals in that spell of games. Currently, at the bottom of the table, they have recorded a single win from the opening 9 games.

Los Gallos went from 1 point all season to 7 after beating Tigres and Atlas in back-to-back games. Now, they welcome a Necaxa side to the Estadio Corregidora. The last time these two faced in Querétaro, the score ended 1-1 as Diego Gomez secured a last-gasped point for the away team.

Tigres have conceded only 4 goals all season but a recent 1-0 loss to Querétaro has raised question marks over their title hopes this season. Returning to winning ways in their most recent match against Juárez, Veljko Paunović's men face a León side that picked up its first win of the season last week against San Luís, ending an 11-game winless run.

Tijuana and Mazatlán will go face-to-face in the north this weekend as Los Xolos aim to bounce back after conceding a late goal to lose 1-0 against Pumas last weekend. Mazatlán managed to hold on for a 0-0 draw against Monterrey last week and will be hoping to go one better against another playoff hopeful at the Estadio Caliente.

Saturday 28th September

Toluca vs Atlas
Pachuca vs Cruz Azul
Chivas vs Monterrey
San Luís vs Santos Laguna

Toluca and Atlas are two sides contesting for a spot in the playoffs finding themselves in 4th and 8th place respectively. Los Diablos Rojos suffered a first loss of the season against Santos Laguna last week but will be hoping to bounce back against an Atlas side that has lost 3 out of the last 5 matches. In the last 5 meetings, Toluca has won twice, whilst there have been two draws, Atlas would need to search as far back as April 2022 for their last win in this fixture when they won 4-2 thanks to a brace from Julián Quiñones.

Pachuca collected a first win in 5 league games after defeating Puebla last week, but now the host the league leaders Cruz Azul. La Maquiná returned to winning ways themselves last week by beating Chivas 1-0 and now Martín Anselmi's side travel to Hidalgo where they have won just once from their last three visits.

The standout game of the weekend is at the Estadio Akron when Chivas welcome Martin Demichelis' Monterrey. Los Rayados are in 3rd place at the moment, two points behind Los Azules. Both sides have struggled for form in recent weeks, recording only two wins from both of their last five outings. Monterrey's goalless draw to Mazatlán and Chivas' narrow loss to Cruz Azul means that this game is crucial for both teams if they want to challenge for this seson's Apertura title.

The final game of the night is in San Luís Potosí when they welcome a Santos Laguna who recorded an impressive 2-0 win over high-flying Toluca in their previous match. San Luís has standout wins of their own, handing Cruz Azul its first loss of the season, whilst also beat Atlas, a team who were unbeaten in the league at the time.

Sunday 29th September

Club América vs Pumas

The final game of the weekend is a capital city derby. Held at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, it is set to be a feisty one between Club América and Pumas. Only 3 points separates the two teams, although Pumas find themselves five places higher than their weekend hosts in the table. Across the last 3 meetings, both teams have won once whilst the other fixture ended in a 1-1 draw. As América has struggled to hit the heights of last season, this weekend provides the perfect opportunity for Pumas to pile on the pressure as they look to solidify their place in the playoffs.

Which game will you be following this weekend? Let us know.