It's Monterrey derby time, and that means that despite the local implication, the entire nation will be watching two of the country's best teams go at it.
Despite Monterrey and Tigres' Saturday fixture has the Mexican soccer pundits buzzing, plenty of other good matches litter the seventh matchday listing: San Luis and Pumas face off at the Alfonso Lastras, with Pumas still undefeated; Cruz Azul will bounce back from a tough road loss at home against Atlas.
Also featured will be Toluca's trek to stay undefeated against a relegation-bound team in Necaxa, and America vs. Morelia, in a "Made for TV" showdown at the Estadio Azteca, which is buzzing after the 2-0 win in Libertadores action for the Eagles.
A tough week has taken its toll on San Luis, as a mid-week loss to Libertad in the Copa Libertadores and a draw with Atlante the weekend before have the Gladiators in a tiny rut.
Pumas, on the other hand, have been flawless this season, as the Mexico City side have won twice and drawn on four occasions. If not for Juan Carlos Cacho's lingering injury, this matchup could have fielded two of the country's most dangerous goalscorers: Cacho for Pumas, and Wilmer Aguirre for San Luis.
Don't expect much excitement in front of goal for this one – dating back to 2008, both teams have scored a total of five goals in as many matches against each other. San Luis have won once in the last four league offerings, beating Estudiantes Tecos by 3-2.
After scoring a wondrous goal against Chivas last week, will Pumas manager Guillermo Vasquez start wunderkind Javier Cortés in place of Cacho? Or will the spot be occupied once more by either Dante Lopez or Martin Bravo? San Luis report no injuries for the match ahead.
Easily the weekend's top fixture, as the Monterrey derby features the country's last crowned champion (Rayados) with the current league leader (Tigres).
Victor Manuel Vucetich, Monterrey manager, has never lost to Tigres whilst coaching the Rayados. Will this weekend mark the end of that statistic? Monterrey city officials have recognized the intense rivalry between these two teams and stepped up security to the max: three times as many policemen are expected to patrol the Tecnologico.
After a disappointing start to the season, Monterrey have picked it up of late, beating Pachuca 2-0 and Jaguares 4-1. Tigres have been utterly consistent, with only a 1-0 loss to Toluca serving as their only blemish. They've given up two goals in the last two matches and pit their strong defensive system against Monterrey's fabulous offense spearheaded by Aldo de Nigris and Humberto Suazo.
With rumors of an imminent sale plaguing the Atlas players' tranquility, Cruz Azul rolls into town in a match that promises to spark two of the country's best offensive teams.
After being shutout last week, Cruz Azul will return home to take on Atlas, who after perching themselves as league leaders, have not won since January 21st, when they struck past Necaxa 1-0. After that, a 2-0 humbling by America, a 0-0 snoozer to Toluca and a 2-1 loss to Santos Laguna have been their underwhelming results.
Cruz Azul on the other hand, have experienced certain extremes: they've been shutout twice, but have also put up some spectacular numbers, such as the 4-0 thrashing of Pachuca on January 29th.
The last five matches have been supremely in favor of Cruz Azul, with all five fixtures going the Maquina's way.
A turbulent week has Chivas fans worried or maybe hopeful that Jose Luis Real, the team's manager, will be fired upon the end of the match.
Despite a draw last week at Pumas and a win against Atlante, the Chivas are far below where their fans feel they should be: with 9 points, the team is thirteenth, while Pachuca – also struggling, find themselves eleventh among the top 18.
Franco Arizala will be MIA for Pachuca, nursing a bad ankle after he was injured in the team's last match. Victor Mañon will be the man called in to replace him, while Erick Torres will once again be the man up top for a struggling Guadalajara offense.
A loss for each team might be the last chance that Chivas or Pachuca's managers get to employ in this awful season's beginning.
Hector Altamirano will return to Torreon and take on the team with which he experienced significant success in the last decade.
Ruben Omar Romano's starting eleven must put behind their inability to take points at home and will find solace in the return of Christian Benitez, arguably the team's most dangerous player.
On Saturday, at 7:00 PM local time, Gallos Blancos and Santos will step on the pitch in serach of three points vital to their respective causes. Santos looks to pull into playoff contention, while Gallos look to save themselves from relegation.
The two teams have an explosive past: their last meeting featured a 5-2 thrashing of Santos by Gallos that the Torreon side will look to seek vengeance on.
Puebla and Jaguares clash in a battle that pits two of the country's worst teams, as Puebla sit next-to-last with four points... only besting Jaguares, who themselves have four but a worse goal differential.
Uruguayan coach Hugo Eugui has been brought in to salvage the Puebla season, and hopefully stop the three match losing streak that the Camoteros are currently suffering.
Eugui has experience with struggling sides – he saved Indios de Ciudad Juarez in 2008 and put them in the playoffs. Jaguares come off a big Copa Libertadores win that and intensity they've not been able to match within the league, as they've won just once this season, losing their last three as well.
Will the motivation pay off this weekend? Or will the fatigue obtained by that extra match mid-week end up favoring Puebla?
Polar opposites face off in La Bombonera, as undefeated Toluca square off against a Necaxa side holding onto dear life.
Bad news for Necaxa, they've not been able to beat Toluca since 2007, losing two and drawing three against Los Choriceros. Worse is their pressure-packed situation as the very last team in the relegation race as of now, sitting sixteenth in the league table with four points, having scored just one goal all season.
Toluca come off a 5-0 thrashing of Gallos Blancos, and with the knowledge that they have found their stride with new manager Sergio Lugo, with 12 points, product of three wins and three draws.
A win, combined with a Tigres loss will put Toluca tops in the Mexican league. A loss for Necaxa could see them dead last if Puebla and Jaguares draw.
America have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, completing a total resurgence under new manager Carlos Reinoso. A big win over struggling Morelia could seal Tomas Boy's fate as another unemployed manager – as the Monarchs have not done well of late.
Draws to Necaxa, San Luis and Chivas outweigh a big 4-1 win over Estudiantes Tecos last week, and the yellow-and-reds will most likely bid adieu to their boss with another defeat.
This match marks a new meeting between the prized jewels of the two biggest television companies in the nation: Televisa and TV Azteca. Thus, the Clásico de la Tele, as it's called in Mexico, will draw a significant amount of attention for its war-like qualities.
Before losing to América 2-0 last September, Morelia had four straight three-pointers over the Eagles.
Also featured will be Toluca's trek to stay undefeated against a relegation-bound team in Necaxa, and America vs. Morelia, in a "Made for TV" showdown at the Estadio Azteca, which is buzzing after the 2-0 win in Libertadores action for the Eagles.
A tough week has taken its toll on San Luis, as a mid-week loss to Libertad in the Copa Libertadores and a draw with Atlante the weekend before have the Gladiators in a tiny rut.
Pumas, on the other hand, have been flawless this season, as the Mexico City side have won twice and drawn on four occasions. If not for Juan Carlos Cacho's lingering injury, this matchup could have fielded two of the country's most dangerous goalscorers: Cacho for Pumas, and Wilmer Aguirre for San Luis.
Don't expect much excitement in front of goal for this one – dating back to 2008, both teams have scored a total of five goals in as many matches against each other. San Luis have won once in the last four league offerings, beating Estudiantes Tecos by 3-2.
After scoring a wondrous goal against Chivas last week, will Pumas manager Guillermo Vasquez start wunderkind Javier Cortés in place of Cacho? Or will the spot be occupied once more by either Dante Lopez or Martin Bravo? San Luis report no injuries for the match ahead.
Easily the weekend's top fixture, as the Monterrey derby features the country's last crowned champion (Rayados) with the current league leader (Tigres).
Victor Manuel Vucetich, Monterrey manager, has never lost to Tigres whilst coaching the Rayados. Will this weekend mark the end of that statistic? Monterrey city officials have recognized the intense rivalry between these two teams and stepped up security to the max: three times as many policemen are expected to patrol the Tecnologico.
After a disappointing start to the season, Monterrey have picked it up of late, beating Pachuca 2-0 and Jaguares 4-1. Tigres have been utterly consistent, with only a 1-0 loss to Toluca serving as their only blemish. They've given up two goals in the last two matches and pit their strong defensive system against Monterrey's fabulous offense spearheaded by Aldo de Nigris and Humberto Suazo.
With rumors of an imminent sale plaguing the Atlas players' tranquility, Cruz Azul rolls into town in a match that promises to spark two of the country's best offensive teams.
After being shutout last week, Cruz Azul will return home to take on Atlas, who after perching themselves as league leaders, have not won since January 21st, when they struck past Necaxa 1-0. After that, a 2-0 humbling by America, a 0-0 snoozer to Toluca and a 2-1 loss to Santos Laguna have been their underwhelming results.
Cruz Azul on the other hand, have experienced certain extremes: they've been shutout twice, but have also put up some spectacular numbers, such as the 4-0 thrashing of Pachuca on January 29th.
The last five matches have been supremely in favor of Cruz Azul, with all five fixtures going the Maquina's way.
A turbulent week has Chivas fans worried or maybe hopeful that Jose Luis Real, the team's manager, will be fired upon the end of the match.
Despite a draw last week at Pumas and a win against Atlante, the Chivas are far below where their fans feel they should be: with 9 points, the team is thirteenth, while Pachuca – also struggling, find themselves eleventh among the top 18.
Franco Arizala will be MIA for Pachuca, nursing a bad ankle after he was injured in the team's last match. Victor Mañon will be the man called in to replace him, while Erick Torres will once again be the man up top for a struggling Guadalajara offense.
A loss for each team might be the last chance that Chivas or Pachuca's managers get to employ in this awful season's beginning.
Hector Altamirano will return to Torreon and take on the team with which he experienced significant success in the last decade.
Ruben Omar Romano's starting eleven must put behind their inability to take points at home and will find solace in the return of Christian Benitez, arguably the team's most dangerous player.
On Saturday, at 7:00 PM local time, Gallos Blancos and Santos will step on the pitch in serach of three points vital to their respective causes. Santos looks to pull into playoff contention, while Gallos look to save themselves from relegation.
The two teams have an explosive past: their last meeting featured a 5-2 thrashing of Santos by Gallos that the Torreon side will look to seek vengeance on.
Puebla and Jaguares clash in a battle that pits two of the country's worst teams, as Puebla sit next-to-last with four points... only besting Jaguares, who themselves have four but a worse goal differential.
Uruguayan coach Hugo Eugui has been brought in to salvage the Puebla season, and hopefully stop the three match losing streak that the Camoteros are currently suffering.
Eugui has experience with struggling sides – he saved Indios de Ciudad Juarez in 2008 and put them in the playoffs. Jaguares come off a big Copa Libertadores win that and intensity they've not been able to match within the league, as they've won just once this season, losing their last three as well.
Will the motivation pay off this weekend? Or will the fatigue obtained by that extra match mid-week end up favoring Puebla?
Polar opposites face off in La Bombonera, as undefeated Toluca square off against a Necaxa side holding onto dear life.
Bad news for Necaxa, they've not been able to beat Toluca since 2007, losing two and drawing three against Los Choriceros. Worse is their pressure-packed situation as the very last team in the relegation race as of now, sitting sixteenth in the league table with four points, having scored just one goal all season.
Toluca come off a 5-0 thrashing of Gallos Blancos, and with the knowledge that they have found their stride with new manager Sergio Lugo, with 12 points, product of three wins and three draws.
A win, combined with a Tigres loss will put Toluca tops in the Mexican league. A loss for Necaxa could see them dead last if Puebla and Jaguares draw.
America have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, completing a total resurgence under new manager Carlos Reinoso. A big win over struggling Morelia could seal Tomas Boy's fate as another unemployed manager – as the Monarchs have not done well of late.
Draws to Necaxa, San Luis and Chivas outweigh a big 4-1 win over Estudiantes Tecos last week, and the yellow-and-reds will most likely bid adieu to their boss with another defeat.
This match marks a new meeting between the prized jewels of the two biggest television companies in the nation: Televisa and TV Azteca. Thus, the Clásico de la Tele, as it's called in Mexico, will draw a significant amount of attention for its war-like qualities.
Before losing to América 2-0 last September, Morelia had four straight three-pointers over the Eagles.
