This week’s FMF fixture list features two absolutely can’t-miss matches. Monterrey and Santos face off in a battle at the top of Group 1. Elsewhere in Mexico, Club America and Chivas de Guadalajara contest El Super Clasico, widely considered to be the biggest and most hotly contested derby in North America.
Mexican Primera Preview, October 22-24: A Battle For Group 1 Supremacy, The Derby Of Derbies
The battle at the top of Group 1 is one of the top stories this week, as Santos and Monterrey battle for Liguilla seeding. Oh, and that whole Super Clasico thing.
Necaxa versus San Luis
Friday, 9 pm Eastern. TV: Azteca America, Fox Sports en Español
Necaxa were disappointing last week away to Chivas, but they are a much better team at home than on the road. This week, they host the inexplicably top-of-Group 2 San Luis. Necaxa are a solid side, but they’re almost certainly the most boring and predictable team in Mexican football. All of their matches have ended in 1-0, 1-1 or 2-1 results one way or the other. The teams seem pretty evenly matched and, like I mentioned, Necaxa are a good team at home. This match should have some entertaining football even though Necaxa are fairly predictable and more rigid than most Mexican sides. Definitely worth watching while pre-gaming for a night on the town.
Jaguares de Chiapas versus Pachuca
Saturday, 5 pm Eastern. TV: Azteca America, ESPN Deportes
While not as big as the Monterrey-Santos match or El Super Clasico, this is must-see TV. Both of these teams are absolutely loaded with strikers with very different talents and it should make for a fantastically entertaining match, especially for those of you who don’t really care for midfielders. Expect end-to-end awesomeness and goals to go along with it. Jaguares’ line is led by target man Jackson Martinez, classic balanced striker Carlos Ochoa, and the little crafty playmaker Danilinho. Pachuca have more competent strikers than I care to list, all with different skill sets. Also, both teams are on the fringes of Liguilla places, so the motivation to get three points will be there for both teams. Insanity may ensue. It should be great.
Quaretaro versus Estudiantes Tecos
Saturday, 5 pm Eastern. TV: Galavision
Seeing as this game is on at the same time as Jaguares-Pachuca, don’t watch it unless you have a DVR with a ton of space and a ridiculous amount of time on your hands. Tecos may not be the worst team in the league, but they certainly have the worst defense. These are the two teams with the worst goal differential in the league, somehow worse than both Atlas and Atlante. Only watch this one if you’re really into watching teams with awful defenses on mute while playing “Yakety Sax” like I am.
Santos Laguna versus Monterrey
Saturday, 7 pm Eastern. TV: Telefutura
After the hot start that Santos got off to, as well as the talent on their team, it’s hard to believe that they’re currently four points behind Monterrey in Group 1. They got schooled last week by Cruz Azul, only a week after a poor performance in a 0-0 draw against Morelia. Still, I can’t help but think that a lack of motivation is Santos’ biggest problem. Monterrey appear to have a similar problem at times, hence their five draws. Both teams knew they would be in the Liguilla after only three or four weeks and have coasted through most of their games. Against each other, it seems unlikely that either team would coast. It’s going to be a blast to see Humberto Suazo and Cristian Benitez on the same pitch, against each other, for the first time in a very long time. All eyes will be on the two superstar strikers, and I feel like both will rise to the occasion. It should be a tight one, and it’s difficult to pick a winner.
Tigres versus Pumas
Saturday, 7 pm Eastern. TV: Telemundo
While not a formal derby, this game is often referred to as the Clasico Universitario due to Tigres and Pumas’ affiliations with two of Mexico’s largest universities. Both are currently in Liguilla positions, but both have had their ups and downs this season. The race is extremely tight and both teams are far from locks. With only five matches remaining in the season, this game could go a very long way in deciding Liguilla positioning. Both of these teams have a striker who is very much in form. Itamar Batista is the best goal scorer in the Tigres side, having scored eight times this season. Martin Bravo of Pumas has fewer goals, with four, but he does more in other areas of the pitch than Batista and his wonder strike last week was a goal-of-the-season candidate for sure. This game is going to be close, but it looks like Pumas defense finally played up to their potential last week. If they can keep up their form, that will be the difference.
Atlas versus Atlante
Saturday, 8:45 pm Eastern. TV: Telemundo
Telemundo bothered to put this game on TV? Surely soap operas would do better ratings. This match is being contested between the only two teams in the league on single-digit points and looks to be an absolute stinker. Atlante’s Johan Fano will probably be good for a goal, and to be honest, he’s the only reason to watch this game. Watch MLS instead. Or get really drunk.
Morelia versus Cruz Azul
Sunday, 12 pm Eastern. TV: Azteca America
Stop the presses, Miguel Sabah scored last week! Inexplicably, he ended his drought and got his team a 1-1 draw against Pachuca. However, his match ended on an extremely negative note when he had a penalty saved in the 86th minute by an outfield player after Pachuca’s goalkeeper was sent off. Chances Sabah can score in consecutive games after that potential mind-screw? Against Cruz Azul, I’ll go with minimal. Cruz Azul should be heavy favorites after their demolition of Santos, but since this match is sandwiched between fixtures against Santos and Monterrey, you have to wonder if this is one of those classic “trap” games for Cruz Azul. Even if it is, Chaco Gimenez is in great form and Morelia’s midfield is shaky at best. It’s tough to imagine Morelia getting all three points, and even a draw might take some serious falling asleep by Cruz Azul.
Toluca versus Puebla
Sunday, 12 pm Eastern. TV: Telemundo
Puebla notched an impressive draw last week against America, but their Ligulla hopes look slim. If they can defeat sinking Toluca on Sunday, they’ll be right back in the race. A few weeks ago, mentioning that Puebla might have a chance at defeating Toluca would be ludicrous. Lately, Toluca have looked mediocre, although their last three opponents have been the best three teams in Mexico. This week will be a litmus test for how good they really are, whether or not age has caught up with Zinha, and whether or not the team has checked out with their manager apparently headed for the Mexican national team job. Gabriel Pereyra has scored six goals so far in this campaign, and he will need to continue his fine form for his team to get a result. I expect Toluca to win, but nothing would surprise me about the Red Devils at this point.
Club América versus Chivas de Guadalajara
Sunday, 5 pm Eastern. TV: Univision
Though América currently sit in a Liguilla place, both of these teams have had more disappointments in their seasons so far than positives. Due to the tight nature of this season's league, a poor Chivas team sit only two points outside of a Liguilla place despite averaging only one goal per game. Javier Hernandez's output has not been replaced, and there doesn't appear to be anyone on the roster capable of doing it. They probably thought Omar Arellano was capable of a six- or seven-goal season, but he's been an absolute bust. Despite that, he has a history of scoring against América, so you never know.
Last week, despite America’s poor performance, Daniel Marquez performed well while his striker partner Vicente Sanchez was extremely poor. This week, I expect Marquez to partner with Vicente Vuoso. That tandem is relatively unproven together, but could make for a dangerous duo. That new combination, if it happens, combined with the struggles up top for Chivas could make the difference in this match. Form can often be thrown out the window in a clasico, but the poor form of Chivas is too much to ignore.
Predictions
Necaxa 1, San Luis 1
Jaguares 3, Pachuca 2
Quaretaro 1, Tecos 1
Santos 1, Monterrey 1
Tigres 1, Pumas 2
Atlas 1, Atlante 1
Morelia 0, Cruz Azul 2
Toluca 2, Puebla 1
Club America 1, Chivas 0
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