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

Tigresvs.Necaxa

sportsmole.co.uk, 5 July 2024, 01:25
Tigres and Necaxa get underway in the new Mexican Liga MX campaign when they go head to head at the Estadio Universitario on Sunday morning.

The home side head into the season curtain-raiser on a four-match winning streak against Los Rayos and will be looking to extend this dominant run this weekend.

Match preview

Tigres will kick off the new Mexican top flight hoping to improve on their performance from last season, as they finished third in the Apertura table standings before storming to the playoff final.

However, they were no match for a rampant Club America side in the final as they suggested a 4-1 aggregate defeat, holding out for a 1-1 draw at home on December 15 before the Eagles picked up a comfortable 3-0 second-leg victory at the Estadio Azteca.

Tigres enjoyed an impressive second half of the season as they secured a fifth-placed finish in the Clausura, before getting knocked out of the playoffs in the quarter-finals courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Monterrey.

Veljko Paunovic's men will head into Saturday's curtain-raiser still licking their wounds from their Supercopa de la Liga MX heartbreak as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Club America in the final last weekend.

Juan Brunetta struck inside the opening seven minutes to put Tigres on course for their first silverware of the season but Javairo Dilrosun and Henry Martin scored in an 11-minute spell to turn the game on its head and hand Andre Jardine's men the title.

Necaxa, on the other hand, will look to put last season's performance behind them as they finished rock-bottom in the Apertura, having won just three of their 17 matches and claiming 15 points in the first half of the campaign.

The club opted to stick with head coach Eduardo Fentanes despite their horror first half of the season and the former Santos Laguna boss guided the club to a much-improved ninth-placed finish in the Clausura.

However, Necaxa were denied a place in the playoffs as they fell to a 2-1 loss against Pachuca in the play-in on May 6, when Alan Bautista and former West Bromwich Albion man Salomon Rondon scored second-half goals to hand Los Tuzos a vital victory.

While Los Rayos will look to begin the season as they mean to go on, their first challenge is against an opposing side who have won each of their last four meetings, scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets since a goalless draw in August 2022.

Necaxa have also failed to taste victory in any of their last eight away games against Tigres, losing five and claiming three draws since a 2-0 win in October 2016 thanks to goals from Edson Puch and Fabian Espindola.

Tigres Liga MX form:

L

D

W

W

L

D

Tigres form (all competitions):

L

D

W

W

L

D

Necaxa Liga MX form:

W

W

L

L

W

L

Team News

Nahuel Guzman was slapped with an 11-match ban by Liga MX back in April and the 38-year-old goalkeeper remains out of contention for Tigres.

Carlos Rodriguez was in goal in the Supercopa final loss to Club America and the 35-year-old should retain his role in the XI, with Javier Aquino, Guido Pizarro, Diego Reyes and Jesus Angulo forming the back four.

Former French international Andre-Pierre Gignac, who netted 17 league goals last season, should spearhead Los Rayos' attack once again, alongside Luis Quinones and Francisco Cordova.

Necaxa have bolstered their squad ahead of the new campaign, with the signing of 24-year-old midfielder Raul Sandoval, while Colombian forward Kevin Rosero joins from Greek outfit Giannina.

There are also several outgoings in Los Rayos' squad, with Jair Cortes and Edgar Mendez jumping ship while striker Facundo Batista, who netted four goals in the Apertura last season, has joined Penarol on loan.

On the injury front, Necaxa will head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Fentanes the luxury of a full strength squad at his disposal.

Tigres possible starting lineup:

Rodriguez; Aquino, Pizarro, Reyes, Angulo; Gorriaran, Carioc, Brunetta; Quinones, Cordova, Gignac

Necaxa possible starting lineup:

Unsain; Alcantar, Pena, Montes, Oliveros; Gomez, Sandoval; Garnica, Palavecino, Monreal; Cambindo

We say: Tigres 2-1 Necaxa

The last four meetings between Tigres and Necaxa have produced a combined 13 goals and we anticipate another thrilling contest at the Estadio Universitario. Tigres' home advantage gives them a slight edge and we are tipping them to extend their winning streak against the visitors.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.