Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Pumasvs.Pachuca

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 July 2024, 03:01
Pumas can maintain their 100% home record in the 2024 Liga MX Apertura campaign when they host Pachuca on Sunday at Estadio Olimpico Universitario.

With a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on matchday two, the Mexico City club are second in the table, two points behind arch-rivals Cruz Azul and three ahead of Los Tuzos, who are eighth following a 2-0 victory over Atletico San Luis.

Match preview

Once again Pumas have begun an Apertura campaign in fine form, currently one of five sides without a defeat in this portion of the domestic season.

It is the third successive time in which they have begun the opening phase unbeaten after three fixtures, while they have not lost any of their last four matches across all competitions.

On Sunday, Gustavo Lema's men have a chance to begin the Apertura with back-to-back home triumphs for the first time since 2017, claiming a 4-1 victory in their opener in Mexico City two weeks ago.

Four of their seven points so far in this competition have occurred when they conceded the opening goal, while they have come back to earn a result in four of their previous five Liga MX affairs when going down 1-0.

Universitarios have collected at least a point in nine of their previous 10 home contests versus Pachuca, including a 3-1 triumph in the 2024 Clausura.

Early into the Apertura campaign, the reigning CONCACAF Champions Cup winners have shown strong defensive stability, conceding just once in three domestic affairs.

Guillermo Almada's men have posted consecutive clean sheets in this competition but have not gone three successive Apertura games without conceding since September 2006.

With four points after three matchdays, Pachuca have claimed two more than they had at this stage of the previous Apertura campaign.

Pachuca have not lost a Liga MX encounter when leading or tied after 45 minutes since a 2-0 defeat versus Atletico San Luis in August 2023.

The last away victory for them against Pumas came in March 2023, when they netted a pair of second-half strikes to win 2-0.

Pumas Liga MX form:

Pachuca Liga MX form:

Team News

One change was made to the Pumas starting 11 on matchday three this week, with Pablo Monroy replacing Hector Ramirez at left-back.

Second-half strikes courtesy of substitutes Angel Rico and Rodrigo Lopez enabled them to come from behind and collect all three points on Wednesday.

Oussama Idrissi is eligible to return to the Pachuca lineup for this upcoming fixture after sitting out against San Luis with a red card suspension and Gael Alvarez taking his place as an attacking midfielder.

Carlos Sanchez and Alan Bautista each found the back of the net on Tuesday, the first two goals for this team in the Apertura this year.

Pumas possible starting lineup:

Gonzalez; Bennevendo, Nathan, Magallan, Ramirez; Lopez, Caicedo; Suarez, Ruvalcaba, Huerta; Funes Mori

Pachuca possible starting lineup:

Moreno; Sanchez, Berlanga, Barreto, Gonzalez; Pedraza, Deossa; Rodriguez, Bautista, Alvarez; Baston

We say: Pumas 1-0 Pachuca

These are two evenly matched sides, but Pumas have shown tremendous resilience this season, which should give them a psychological edge on Sunday.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim manager Lee Carsley has played down Harry Kane's strong words about the withdrawal of many of his teammates, insisting he is looking forward to working with other players who also deserve a chance. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly fearful that Lisandro Martinez could spend an extended spell on the sidelines with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from Argentina duty. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon wing-back Maximiliano Araujo has hinted that he hopes to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in the near future. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they visit the Stade de Franceville to take on Gabon on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk San Marino will hope to leapfrog Gibraltar and prevent them from earning promotion from their UEFA Nations League D group when they welcome them to Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth UEFA Nations League C match of 2024-25, Northern Ireland are set to host Belarus on Friday at Windsor Park, with victory enough to guarantee a place in the top two. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Zimbabwe will be hoping to book their place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face Kenya on matchday five of qualifying this Friday at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could reportedly move for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez during next summer's transfer window. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool should arguably be considered favourites for Premier League glory after they took charge of the title race last weekend when they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield and moved five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley could reportedly offer Ruud van Nistelrooy the chance to make a swift return to English football, with the Clarets interested in bringing him in as their new manager. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal out in Porto when they face Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment at the number of players to have withdrawn from the Three Lions squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures with Greece and Republic of Ireland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has been handed a call-up to the Spain squad for the national team's November international fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon has been forced to retire from professional football at the age of 19 due to a serious knee injury which he suffered in the latter stages of 2022. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have revealed that Ansu Fati has been ruled out for around four weeks with a hamstring injury. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is facing a crisis at centre-back ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with Poland in Porto on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal welcome Poland to Porto on matchday five of the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said that it is "the right moment" for Ruben Amorim to arrive at Old Trafford, claiming that the Portuguese "did something very special" at Sporting Lisbon. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Ben White has apparently gone under the knife to treat a joint issue in his knee, which will sideline the Englishman for around two months. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly identified Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro as two of their top defensive targets for 2025. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Botswana will host Mauritania in their penultimate 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has provided a positive injury update ahead of potentially representing Belgium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland's stay in the UEFA Nations League's top tier could be brought to its end on Friday, when they face an almost must-win game against League A Group 1 rivals Croatia. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal is among a number of absentees for Spain, as the national side conclude their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group-stage campaign with fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain will be bidding to secure top spot in Group 4 of League A in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League when they head to Denmark on Friday evening for what is shaping up to be an intriguing affair. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion forward Danny Welbeck has claimed that speculation regarding a potential return to Manchester United is "irrelevant". 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Manchester City winger Jack Grealish as a potential January transfer target. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in joining the race to sign a Benfica defender in 2025.