Guido Pizarro (right) and his Tigres mates won't have to deal with Monterrey striker Rogelio Funes Mori during Saturday's "Clásico Regiomontano," arguably the most attractive derby in Liga MX. (Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Liga MX: Three ‘Clásicos’ on tap for Matchday 10
Ignacio Rivero (left) and the embattled Cruz Azul defense will have to deal with the likes of Álvaro Fidalgo during Saturday’s “Clásico Joven” as part of Matchday 10 in Liga MX. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
Liga MX concludes another compressed week of action with three “derbies,” including arguably the league’s best “Clásico” the winner of which could climb into first place.
Guadalajara kicked off the weekend by exposing Necaxa as a pretender while claiming its first win of the season with a dominant 4-0 victory on the road. The rout saves coach Ricardo Cadena from an early sacking though he is not out of the woods yet by any means.
The Chivas were in 17th place with a 0-6-2 record (and only 5 goals scored) before taking the field at Estadio Victoria and they got a huge boost when the Rayos declined to show up. Necaxa coach Jaime Lozano will be hugely upset with the lack of effort on display by his Rayos who were in 7th place in the Liga MX table.
The real fun begins on Saturday with five games on tap including a potential Finals preview in Monterrey and the “Clásico Joven” in Mexico City.
‘Clásico Regiomontano’ promises plenty of fireworks
The third-place Tigres visit crosstown rivals Monterrey in the 128th Norteño Classic, arguably the most intense derby in Liga MX.
The host Rayados are in second place with 20 points (2 more than Tigres) and boast the highest-scoring offense in Liga MX (20 goals in 9 matches). However, Monterrey will be without star striker Rogelio Funes Mori who appeared to reinjure his right thigh after coming on as a sub against Toluca on Wednesday.
Tigres, on the other hand, arrive at the “Clásico Regio” well-rested after their Matchday 9 contest against Guadalajara was postponed until mid-September, a move that the irked Rayados coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich.
Even so, coach Miguel Herrera might not have his first-choice line-up available (left back Javier Aquino has been unable to train this week after suffering an ankle knock against Santos on Sunday and midfielder Rafael Carioca was red-carded in the same game). However, “Piojo” does have a new toy to play with – central defender Samir Caetano was signed from Watford.
Whoever plays defense for Tigres will have to keep an eye on Monterrey’s red-hot Arturo González who leads Liga MX with 9 goal contributions (4 goals, 5 assists).
‘Clásico Joven’ pits two Liga MX teams going in opposite directions
This bitter Mexico City rivalry finds Cruz Azul plummeting down the standings with the league’s leakiest defense facing off against an América side on an impressive three-game win streak that has seen the Aguilas outscore its opponents 8-1 in that stretch.
The misfit Cementeros were poorly assembled by GM Jaime Ordiales who was rewarded with the executive director job with Team Mexico ahead of the World Cup (yep, a real head-scratcher). The front office scrambled to bring in two additional players this past week … and both started in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Tijuana!
Just like last season, América started out slowly before catching fire and rocketing up the Liga MX standings. “Los AzulCremas” are in fifth place with a bullet and they have a game in hand, making a Top 4 finish (and a first-round bye in the Liga MX playoffs) a reasonable expectation.
América’s Henry Martín has been in fine form and he is likely salivating at the prospect of facing the bumbling Cruz Azul defense (18 goals allowed in nine matches).
Grupo Pachuca Classic is must-win for both teams
Though not genuinely a “Clásico,” Pachuca and León are sister clubs both owned by Grupo Pachuca. This is a down season for the Tuzos and the Esmeraldas, but the former were in last season’s Liga MX Finals and the latter were Liga MX finalists the season before that.
Pachuca finished the Clausura 2022 as the top seed before coming up short against Atlas in the Final and the Tuzos were expected to contend again this season, but their attack – the highest-scoring offense in Liga MX last season – is not clicking on all cylinders.
León is joint worst defense with Cruz Azul (18 goals allowed) and – just like last season – some of the players appear to have tuned out the coach. New manager Renato Paiva has been noticeably frustrated along the touch-line, frantically trying to direct his pupils who seem comfortable ignoring him. It would be no surprise if the Esmeraldas miss out on the playoffs again this season, a result that cost Ariel Holan his job after Matchday 15 last season.
Sunday’s contest in Pachuca could be a make-or-break match for both team although the Tuzos appear likely to reach the playoffs but a favorable seed could be out of reach if they don’t rediscover their Clausura 2022 form, and soon.
