Future playoff battles and relegation drama unfolds as Week 9 takes up our attention in Mexico.
Week 9 kicks off in Mexico on Friday with Estudiantes Tecos and Pachuca in a match that pits two desperate, bottom-feeding teams in need of a win. Saturday will feature, among others - a Cruz Azul team that will attempt to stave off a surging Necaxa that have won three matches in a row.
On Sunday, Toluca and Morelia will give fans a taste of what could be a playoff battle in a few months time, as Toluca (eighth) will face off against Morelia (third), and will put two of the country's best goalscorers face to face in Miguel Sabah and Jaime Ayovi. The weekend slate of games is previewed on LiveSoccer TV!
Two desperate teams kick off Matchday 9 at the Estadio Tres de Marzo, as Estudiantes Tecos, losers of four straight, face bottom-feeding Pachuca on Friday night.
With six points in eight matches, Estudiantes Tecos are ranked as the worst team in the Mexican league. Since beating Chivas 1-0, they've lost four straight, absorbing 13 goals in the process.
Meanwhile, Pachuca are also in a bad rut, with the pressure mounting on manager Pablo Marini's shoulders with each negative result. The team's backroom staff had to send out a statement denying that they were in pursuit of former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Estudiantes have not beaten Pachuca since 2005. They will face the match without key starters in the back, including defenders Gustavo Cabral, Juan Carlos Leaño and holding midfielder Jorge Zamogilny. They will get starting goalkeeper Christian Martinez back from suspension.
Pachuca report a full squad with the possible exception of Colombian attacker Franco Faustino Arizala.
Cruz Azul fight for the top of the table while attempting to fend off surging Necaxa this Saturday at the Estadio Azul.
Despite three straight wins against significant opposition, Necaxa come into this match as the underdogs. Unbeaten under Sergio Bueno, the team's new manager, they will face their toughest test yet as they face one of the nation's best teams in Cruz Azul.
A tough draw at Querétaro for the Blues will weigh on them as they take on the red-and-whites at home. Still without midfield maestro Hugo Droguett, Cruz Azul are fresh off a mid-week win at Santos Laguna that sees them through to the CCL semifinals.
Meanwhile, Necaxa will need to keep adding points to their account if they're to stave off being foreclosed from the first division. The Rayos still occupy the very last spot in the relegation table and are still leagues behind Queretaro.
Monterrey will host Querétaro for three vital points in order to keep fighting en route to the playoffs. They will be without midfielder Osvaldo Martínez, who picked up a red card last week.
Their offensive woes will be magnified by the continuing absence of Chilean striker Humberto Suazo, who is sidelined with an injury. Also, their workload has increased due to the CCL quarterfinal series they resolved by beating Toluca this week.
Querétaro will travel to the Estadio Tecnólogico and try to keep pulling miracle points out of tough venues, such as their heroic nine-man charge against Cruz Azul last weekend which netted them a draw.
Monterrey have not been able to win in the last two matches, drawing with Tigres and losing to Toluca. Defender Ricardo Osorio might also be out due to injury. Raúl Ferro and Gabino Velasco will be out due to suspension for Querétaro.
Under Diego Cocca, Santos Laguna have lost three games in a week. Freshly eliminated from the Concacaf Champions League and slipping in the league, Santos must now focus their attention on hosting surging América.
Their big win at home over Fluminense in the Copa Libertadores was a welcomed pick-me-up for a team that had lost two of the last three games in the league and had also taken a rough beating in Buenos Aires at the hands of Argentinos Juniors.
Still missing Matias Vuoso due to suspension, America will start with Daniel Marquez as their striker. Marquez scored the only goal in the match against Fluminense on Wednesday on Mexico City.
Uriel Alvarez is also suspended for Santos Laguna, so each team will be minus a starter. The match will pit the two Apertura 2010 semifinalists. Santos Laguna eliminated America and went on to the final, losing to Monterrey.
Guadalajara returns home to face Tigres UANL. The Chivas might be without their starting goalkeeper in Luis Michel, who is doubtful to play due to injury.
With just one loss in the season, UANL would reach 20 points with a win at the Estadio Omnilife. Ricardo Ferretti's team has been involved in a bit of controversy of late, with the manager embroiled in a war of words with former pupil Martin Bravo of Pumas.
Chivas will try to find their way back to the win column against Tigres. With a record of two wins, four draws and two losses, Chivas find themselves close to a playoff spot, but face the harsh reality of seeing four teams with the same amount of points as they do at this point in the season.
No word yet on whether beleaguered forward Adolfo Bautista starts for the Guadalajara side on Saturday.
Atlante, with a record of three wins, one draw and four losses, take on the significantly stronger five win, three draw and no loss Pumas at the Estadio Quintana Roo.
Yes, the Pumas are the competition's leaders and yes, they are still undefeated - but Atlante have been exceptionally difficult to beat at home this season, and Miguel Herrera's side are confident that they will be able to knock the Pedregal side off their perch.
In fact, the last four visits to Cancún have resulted in losses for the UNAM side - including a 2-1 loss in the final of the Apertura 2007 campaign.
Pumas have scored just once on the Potros' home turf since then. Atlante haven't beaten Pumas since September of 2009.
Toluca will attempt to break a three-match losing streak that saw them get kicked out of the CCL in quarterfinals and also lose their status as one of the unbeaten teams in the league.
Incredibly, Carlos Arias, Toluca defender, was sent off twice in two matches, totaling twenty minutes on the pitch before getting two red cards.
Meanwhile, another suspendee will be Morelia manager Tomas Boy, who was sent off for complaining at officials decisions. The match will feature two teams in playoff spots, as Morelia are third with 15 points, while Toluca are eighth with 12 points.
The match will also pit two of the tournament's top scorers, as Jaime Ayovi of Toluca and Miguel Sabah of Morelia both have three goals and are two off the pace.
With a second manager at the helm in an already poor season, Puebla will now rely on Hector Hugo Eugui to grab some much-needed points until the end of the season.
With seven points, Puebla are next-to-last in the league table and dead last in group number three. Atlas are currently fifth by way of four wins, one draw and three losses, good for 13 points after eight matches.
The Guadalajara side will wish to break a twelve year drought at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc, where they haven't won since the Invierno 1998 season, when they defeated Puebla by a score of 3-1.
During their last meeting, Atlas defeated Puebla by a score of 1-0 in the Estadio Jalisco. The last match at the Cuauhtemoc ended 1-0 in favor of the locals, back at the Apertura 2009.
On Sunday, Toluca and Morelia will give fans a taste of what could be a playoff battle in a few months time, as Toluca (eighth) will face off against Morelia (third), and will put two of the country's best goalscorers face to face in Miguel Sabah and Jaime Ayovi. The weekend slate of games is previewed on LiveSoccer TV!
Two desperate teams kick off Matchday 9 at the Estadio Tres de Marzo, as Estudiantes Tecos, losers of four straight, face bottom-feeding Pachuca on Friday night.
With six points in eight matches, Estudiantes Tecos are ranked as the worst team in the Mexican league. Since beating Chivas 1-0, they've lost four straight, absorbing 13 goals in the process.
Meanwhile, Pachuca are also in a bad rut, with the pressure mounting on manager Pablo Marini's shoulders with each negative result. The team's backroom staff had to send out a statement denying that they were in pursuit of former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Estudiantes have not beaten Pachuca since 2005. They will face the match without key starters in the back, including defenders Gustavo Cabral, Juan Carlos Leaño and holding midfielder Jorge Zamogilny. They will get starting goalkeeper Christian Martinez back from suspension.
Pachuca report a full squad with the possible exception of Colombian attacker Franco Faustino Arizala.
Cruz Azul fight for the top of the table while attempting to fend off surging Necaxa this Saturday at the Estadio Azul.
Despite three straight wins against significant opposition, Necaxa come into this match as the underdogs. Unbeaten under Sergio Bueno, the team's new manager, they will face their toughest test yet as they face one of the nation's best teams in Cruz Azul.
A tough draw at Querétaro for the Blues will weigh on them as they take on the red-and-whites at home. Still without midfield maestro Hugo Droguett, Cruz Azul are fresh off a mid-week win at Santos Laguna that sees them through to the CCL semifinals.
Meanwhile, Necaxa will need to keep adding points to their account if they're to stave off being foreclosed from the first division. The Rayos still occupy the very last spot in the relegation table and are still leagues behind Queretaro.
Monterrey will host Querétaro for three vital points in order to keep fighting en route to the playoffs. They will be without midfielder Osvaldo Martínez, who picked up a red card last week.
Their offensive woes will be magnified by the continuing absence of Chilean striker Humberto Suazo, who is sidelined with an injury. Also, their workload has increased due to the CCL quarterfinal series they resolved by beating Toluca this week.
Querétaro will travel to the Estadio Tecnólogico and try to keep pulling miracle points out of tough venues, such as their heroic nine-man charge against Cruz Azul last weekend which netted them a draw.
Monterrey have not been able to win in the last two matches, drawing with Tigres and losing to Toluca. Defender Ricardo Osorio might also be out due to injury. Raúl Ferro and Gabino Velasco will be out due to suspension for Querétaro.
Under Diego Cocca, Santos Laguna have lost three games in a week. Freshly eliminated from the Concacaf Champions League and slipping in the league, Santos must now focus their attention on hosting surging América.
Their big win at home over Fluminense in the Copa Libertadores was a welcomed pick-me-up for a team that had lost two of the last three games in the league and had also taken a rough beating in Buenos Aires at the hands of Argentinos Juniors.
Still missing Matias Vuoso due to suspension, America will start with Daniel Marquez as their striker. Marquez scored the only goal in the match against Fluminense on Wednesday on Mexico City.
Uriel Alvarez is also suspended for Santos Laguna, so each team will be minus a starter. The match will pit the two Apertura 2010 semifinalists. Santos Laguna eliminated America and went on to the final, losing to Monterrey.
Guadalajara returns home to face Tigres UANL. The Chivas might be without their starting goalkeeper in Luis Michel, who is doubtful to play due to injury.
With just one loss in the season, UANL would reach 20 points with a win at the Estadio Omnilife. Ricardo Ferretti's team has been involved in a bit of controversy of late, with the manager embroiled in a war of words with former pupil Martin Bravo of Pumas.
Chivas will try to find their way back to the win column against Tigres. With a record of two wins, four draws and two losses, Chivas find themselves close to a playoff spot, but face the harsh reality of seeing four teams with the same amount of points as they do at this point in the season.
No word yet on whether beleaguered forward Adolfo Bautista starts for the Guadalajara side on Saturday.
Atlante, with a record of three wins, one draw and four losses, take on the significantly stronger five win, three draw and no loss Pumas at the Estadio Quintana Roo.
Yes, the Pumas are the competition's leaders and yes, they are still undefeated - but Atlante have been exceptionally difficult to beat at home this season, and Miguel Herrera's side are confident that they will be able to knock the Pedregal side off their perch.
In fact, the last four visits to Cancún have resulted in losses for the UNAM side - including a 2-1 loss in the final of the Apertura 2007 campaign.
Pumas have scored just once on the Potros' home turf since then. Atlante haven't beaten Pumas since September of 2009.
Toluca will attempt to break a three-match losing streak that saw them get kicked out of the CCL in quarterfinals and also lose their status as one of the unbeaten teams in the league.
Incredibly, Carlos Arias, Toluca defender, was sent off twice in two matches, totaling twenty minutes on the pitch before getting two red cards.
Meanwhile, another suspendee will be Morelia manager Tomas Boy, who was sent off for complaining at officials decisions. The match will feature two teams in playoff spots, as Morelia are third with 15 points, while Toluca are eighth with 12 points.
The match will also pit two of the tournament's top scorers, as Jaime Ayovi of Toluca and Miguel Sabah of Morelia both have three goals and are two off the pace.
With a second manager at the helm in an already poor season, Puebla will now rely on Hector Hugo Eugui to grab some much-needed points until the end of the season.
With seven points, Puebla are next-to-last in the league table and dead last in group number three. Atlas are currently fifth by way of four wins, one draw and three losses, good for 13 points after eight matches.
The Guadalajara side will wish to break a twelve year drought at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc, where they haven't won since the Invierno 1998 season, when they defeated Puebla by a score of 3-1.
During their last meeting, Atlas defeated Puebla by a score of 1-0 in the Estadio Jalisco. The last match at the Cuauhtemoc ended 1-0 in favor of the locals, back at the Apertura 2009.
