Preview: Toluca vs. Necaxa - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts will be hoping to replicate last season's form which saw them finish in the top four, while the visitors finished 17th in the division.

Match preview

Toluca come into this clash looking to build upon a very respectable 2022-23 Clausura campaign which saw them finish fourth, and only two points behind Club America in second.

Diablos Rojos managed to pick up 32 points from 17 games and had the second-best home record in the entire division, recording five wins and three draws from the eight matches they played in front of their own fans.

Ignacio Ambriz will be eager to see his side start off the new campaign on a positive note at Estadio Nemesio Diez on Sunday.

Carlos Gonzalez led the scoring charts for the hosts last season with 11 goals across all competitions but the Paraguayan has left for pastures new, joining fellow Liga MX side Tijuana, so there could be a reliance on new signing Robert Morales to hit the ground running.

Meanwhile, Necaxa come into this clash on Sunday night looking to put behind a 2022-23 Clausura campaign which saw them end up in 17th place.

Los Rayos could only muster 14 points from 17 matches and had the joint-worst attack in the entire division, averaging 0.94 goals per game.

Rafael Dudamel's side have not lifted the Liga MX title since 1998, and he will be determined to see his side to set the right tone with a positive result on Sunday, having lost the opening match of the campaign for the past three years running.

Facundo Batista was the club's leading scorer last season with nine goals across all competitions, and Necaxa will be looking to him to supply the goals once again.

Team News

Last season's top scorer Carlos Gonzalez has bid the club farewell so new signings Robert Morales and Michael Estrada will be expected to fill that void this season, starting on Sunday.

Mauricio Isias could make his debut for the club this weekend after his arrival from Pachuca, while Leonardo Fernandez was the heartbeat of the midfield for Toluca last season, so he is expected to start in the engine room here.

As for the visitors, Edgar Mendez will be hoping to replicate a respectable 2022-23 Clausura campaign, in which he scored six goals in 16 appearances from the right flank, while Alex Pena looks set to start in the defence alongside Fabricio Formiliano.

Los Rayos desperately need some defensive reinforcements for the new season and the club's hierarchy have delivered, with defensive midfielder Jair Cortes arriving from Oaxaca.

Toluca possible starting lineup:

Volpi; Garcia, Mosquera, Huerta, Isias; Meneses, Baeza, Fernandez, Araujo; Morales, Estrada

Necaxa possible starting lineup:

Gudino; Martinez, Pena, Formiliano, Oliveros; Garnica, Poggi, Esquivel, Jurado; Mendez, Batista

We say: Toluca 2-0 Necaxa

Toluca have won the last four meetings between these two sides, so it is difficult to see anything other than a home victory.

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