It's SuperClásico time in Mexico as América and Guadalajara square off for bragging rights and prime playoff position.
Footy fever is grasping the country as the two most followed squads in the nation, Chivas and América will square off in the Estadio Azteca as both teams are playoff contenders and look to shatter the other's volatile confidence that has been built up only over the last couple of weeks or so.
Not a fan of either team? Well, Mexico City will host a great game that may give us a new league leader, as Pumas UNAM and Tigres UANL will face each other at Ciudad Universitaria, marking the return of Ricardo "El Tuca" Ferreti to the Pumas home ground, a place where he coached for little more than a decade.
Zapopan will be the site for a match with two bottom-dwellers taking center stage in Estudiantes Tecos and Querétaro FC. Despite the almost null playoff implications, the winner of this match will receive a sweet prize: the gift of life within the Mexican first division.
Estudiantes' potential three-pointer would put them out of the grasp of Necaxa's reach, taking them out of the relegation mix. Querétaro, the other team currently involved in that dreadful race, would also distance themselves greatly from Necaxa should they bag a win at the Tres de Marzo Stadium, steering them towards safety.
Jorge Zamogilny remains out of action for Estudiantes, while starting goalkeeper Christian Martinez will be out of the mix as well for the university, meaning Juan Carlos García Rulfo, Martínez's back-up, will be in action for the Tecos.
Queretaro will be complete for the match, high off having beaten San Luis 3-2 after being down two nil to the Gladiators. Queretaro lost to UAG last time they met at the Estadio 3 de Marzo, by a score of 2-0.
San Luis and Necaxa will duel in a match that pits two teams owned by the same media conglomerate amidst a sea of uncertainty that has one club (Necaxa) on the edge of relegation with just five games remaining in the current campaign.
San Luis has also put together a mediocre campaign, having not won a game since Week 5 of the championship and coming awfully close to being mathematically eliminated from being able to make the postseason in the Clausura 2011 season.
The home team will be without three key players going into the match who are all injured: Luis Omar Hernandez, Ignacio Torres and Osmar Mares will not be able to perform against Necaxa due to preexisting maladies.
Necaxa need to win at San Luis, or else would require to gain anywhere from two to four wins in order to stay alive with four matches remaining in the current season. The Sergio Bueno led-side have fallen into a crisis of results lately, and need to steer the ship back towards victory or else face falling into the second division.
After a huge victory at Morelia last week, Pachuca return home to face another team hungry for a playoff berth: Jaguares. Pachuca scored three big goals at the Estadio Morelos to fend off the "Monarchs", while Jaguares stripped the only undefeated team in the nation of that status last weekend.
The match will feature Damian Manso of Jaguares facing his old team for the first time wearing a Jaguares uniform, his job will be simple: destroy Rodolfo Cota's clean sheet at the Estadio Hidalgo, where Manso was a constant factor as a "Tuzo".
Rodolfo Cota starts at goalkeeper due to Miguel Calero being out due to injury the rest of the season. Cota has already stopped a crucial penalty in his substitute role, and lead the team to victory.
Jaguares, struck by injuries all season, will be without three crucial players: Jackson Martinez, Julio Frias and Ismael Fuentes, all injured and unable to perform for the visitors on Saturday night in Pachuca.
Atlante and Atlas will look each other down at the Estadio Quintana Roo, where the two teams will attempt to leapfrog the other one, as both sit in the exact same spot in the league table with a total of 16 points each.
Alex Diego will miss the match for Atlante, due to suspension. Luis Angel Landin and Edgar Solis will also be absent for Miguel Herrera's side due to injury , while Atlas will see the maligned Nestor Vidrio miss action.
Atlante lost to Tigres last week in what was a frustrating match for Atlante's offense which only got two shots off during the 90 minutes. Atlas haven't been able to win since Week 5 against Monterrey, even being unable to best 9-man Chivas in the Jalisco Classic.
A Pyrrhic victory took place for Diego Cocca's Santos last week against Cruz Azul, as the green-and-whites lost their striker for four matches due to a red card that included trading aggressive shots with a few Cruz Azul players.
Add to that preexisting injuries to Jose Antonio Olvera and Francisco Arce. The cherry on top of that depressing cake is the season-ending injury that goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez reported this week thanks to a home accident.
Miguel Becerra will take Sanchez's place in the Santos goal, and Quintero will most likely be replaced by Oribe Peralta, Santos' mexican striker.
Meanwhile, Monterrey will face only fatigue this weekend, as they played this Wednesday against Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions' League semifinals at Mexico City's Estadio Azul.
Hiram Mier might be the only Rayado missing in action for Victor Manuel Vucetich's squad.
After one of the hardest weeks for Cruz Azul fans in years, the Blues head back to work on Saturday to face Morelia at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City.
A tough 3-1 loss last Saturday started the Celeste woes, while a mid-week 1-1 draw against Monterrey at home kept them out of the CONCACAF Champions' League final by way of a 3-2 aggregate that saw the northern side through and kept Enrique Meza's men out of the continental final.
Mauricio Romero and Alejandro Vela are the only known absentees for either team, as both have been reported out for the season due to their crunching injuries, so both teams will be almost complete to face each other.
Morelia are also coming off a tough loss, a 3-1 drop at home to resurgent Pachuca, who turned in a great performance at the Estadio Morelos to defeat the yellow-and-reds. Cruz Azul and Morelia still seem like locks for the playoffs, and would probably best served with a share of the spoils.
At the Estadio Cuauhtemoc, Puebla will fight Toluca in a match that is sure to define the playoff hopes that Sergio Lugo's squad still has going forward with five games left in the Clausura 2011.
Predictably, they'll be the favorite despite being the visiting team in Puebla, as the home Camoteros have been sub-par this season, their last result a wacky 5-4 thriller at the Estadio Azteca which they dropped to the volatile Aguilas de America.
They'll make do without Jaime Javier Ayovi, the Colombian striker who has been lethal for them this season, and Osvaldo Gonzalez, their solid defender in the back line. Puebla will only be without suspended Felipe de Jesus Ayala.
Puebla are dependent on Morelia and Cruz Azul's point count to make the playoffs, as they've fallen too far behind to help themselves. Eight Azul and Morelia points (and four Pumas points) will keep the Puebla team out of the liguilla for another season.
A duel for the top spot in Mexico will take place in Mexico City... no, not América vs. Guadalajara, but Pumas UNAM vs. Tigres UANL, which also has the added ingredient of being a match featuring two of the universities in Mexico.
Pumas will need Martin Bravo to prove his statements about Ricardo Ferretti, his old coach and new Tigres boss in order to push his offense towards the finish line at Ciudad Universitaria this Sunday afternoon.
Tigres will rely on its solid back line and impressive offensive unit led by Danilinho, Hector Mancilla and Lucas Lobos in order to inflict pain on Marco Antonio Palacios' net and the Pumas defense.
Pumas lost midfielder Leandro Augusto to injury last week and missed him dearly in their first match without the Brazilian-Mexican, as the midfield looked to be in disarray in their loss to Jagures at the Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna.
Finally, Guadalajara will set the stage for the biggest match of the season: Chivas vs. America, the National Classic or "El Superclásico".
América and Chivas are both coming off wins and have placed themselves in playoff position going forward, but a loss on either side could be both a strong deterrent to their future postseason hopes as well as shattering the delicate confidence that either side has gained over the last few weeks.
With a 5-4 league win over Puebla on Sunday and a 2-1 Copa Libertadores victory against Argentinos Juniors on Wednesday, América fly high coming into the national classic, but will also deal with their third game in just seven days.
Compare that to Chivas' 2nd match in eleven days, fitting them with much-needed rest that will be sure to play a part in their match at the Estadio Omnilife against their hated rivals.
Erick Torres and Omar Arellano will be the men up front for Guadalajara, charged with hurting an America defense that has been a complete disaster for many matches this season, including almost blowing a 4-0 lead that the offense had put up last week against Puebla in just the first half of play.
América will look to exploit their great speed and skill with three men up front: Daniel Montenegro, Vicente Sanchez and Angel Reyna, neither of which is a pure box striker but all of whom possess great attacking skills.
Not a fan of either team? Well, Mexico City will host a great game that may give us a new league leader, as Pumas UNAM and Tigres UANL will face each other at Ciudad Universitaria, marking the return of Ricardo "El Tuca" Ferreti to the Pumas home ground, a place where he coached for little more than a decade.
Zapopan will be the site for a match with two bottom-dwellers taking center stage in Estudiantes Tecos and Querétaro FC. Despite the almost null playoff implications, the winner of this match will receive a sweet prize: the gift of life within the Mexican first division.
Estudiantes' potential three-pointer would put them out of the grasp of Necaxa's reach, taking them out of the relegation mix. Querétaro, the other team currently involved in that dreadful race, would also distance themselves greatly from Necaxa should they bag a win at the Tres de Marzo Stadium, steering them towards safety.
Jorge Zamogilny remains out of action for Estudiantes, while starting goalkeeper Christian Martinez will be out of the mix as well for the university, meaning Juan Carlos García Rulfo, Martínez's back-up, will be in action for the Tecos.
Queretaro will be complete for the match, high off having beaten San Luis 3-2 after being down two nil to the Gladiators. Queretaro lost to UAG last time they met at the Estadio 3 de Marzo, by a score of 2-0.
San Luis and Necaxa will duel in a match that pits two teams owned by the same media conglomerate amidst a sea of uncertainty that has one club (Necaxa) on the edge of relegation with just five games remaining in the current campaign.
San Luis has also put together a mediocre campaign, having not won a game since Week 5 of the championship and coming awfully close to being mathematically eliminated from being able to make the postseason in the Clausura 2011 season.
The home team will be without three key players going into the match who are all injured: Luis Omar Hernandez, Ignacio Torres and Osmar Mares will not be able to perform against Necaxa due to preexisting maladies.
Necaxa need to win at San Luis, or else would require to gain anywhere from two to four wins in order to stay alive with four matches remaining in the current season. The Sergio Bueno led-side have fallen into a crisis of results lately, and need to steer the ship back towards victory or else face falling into the second division.
After a huge victory at Morelia last week, Pachuca return home to face another team hungry for a playoff berth: Jaguares. Pachuca scored three big goals at the Estadio Morelos to fend off the "Monarchs", while Jaguares stripped the only undefeated team in the nation of that status last weekend.
The match will feature Damian Manso of Jaguares facing his old team for the first time wearing a Jaguares uniform, his job will be simple: destroy Rodolfo Cota's clean sheet at the Estadio Hidalgo, where Manso was a constant factor as a "Tuzo".
Rodolfo Cota starts at goalkeeper due to Miguel Calero being out due to injury the rest of the season. Cota has already stopped a crucial penalty in his substitute role, and lead the team to victory.
Jaguares, struck by injuries all season, will be without three crucial players: Jackson Martinez, Julio Frias and Ismael Fuentes, all injured and unable to perform for the visitors on Saturday night in Pachuca.
Atlante and Atlas will look each other down at the Estadio Quintana Roo, where the two teams will attempt to leapfrog the other one, as both sit in the exact same spot in the league table with a total of 16 points each.
Alex Diego will miss the match for Atlante, due to suspension. Luis Angel Landin and Edgar Solis will also be absent for Miguel Herrera's side due to injury , while Atlas will see the maligned Nestor Vidrio miss action.
Atlante lost to Tigres last week in what was a frustrating match for Atlante's offense which only got two shots off during the 90 minutes. Atlas haven't been able to win since Week 5 against Monterrey, even being unable to best 9-man Chivas in the Jalisco Classic.
A Pyrrhic victory took place for Diego Cocca's Santos last week against Cruz Azul, as the green-and-whites lost their striker for four matches due to a red card that included trading aggressive shots with a few Cruz Azul players.
Add to that preexisting injuries to Jose Antonio Olvera and Francisco Arce. The cherry on top of that depressing cake is the season-ending injury that goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez reported this week thanks to a home accident.
Miguel Becerra will take Sanchez's place in the Santos goal, and Quintero will most likely be replaced by Oribe Peralta, Santos' mexican striker.
Meanwhile, Monterrey will face only fatigue this weekend, as they played this Wednesday against Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions' League semifinals at Mexico City's Estadio Azul.
Hiram Mier might be the only Rayado missing in action for Victor Manuel Vucetich's squad.
After one of the hardest weeks for Cruz Azul fans in years, the Blues head back to work on Saturday to face Morelia at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City.
A tough 3-1 loss last Saturday started the Celeste woes, while a mid-week 1-1 draw against Monterrey at home kept them out of the CONCACAF Champions' League final by way of a 3-2 aggregate that saw the northern side through and kept Enrique Meza's men out of the continental final.
Mauricio Romero and Alejandro Vela are the only known absentees for either team, as both have been reported out for the season due to their crunching injuries, so both teams will be almost complete to face each other.
Morelia are also coming off a tough loss, a 3-1 drop at home to resurgent Pachuca, who turned in a great performance at the Estadio Morelos to defeat the yellow-and-reds. Cruz Azul and Morelia still seem like locks for the playoffs, and would probably best served with a share of the spoils.
At the Estadio Cuauhtemoc, Puebla will fight Toluca in a match that is sure to define the playoff hopes that Sergio Lugo's squad still has going forward with five games left in the Clausura 2011.
Predictably, they'll be the favorite despite being the visiting team in Puebla, as the home Camoteros have been sub-par this season, their last result a wacky 5-4 thriller at the Estadio Azteca which they dropped to the volatile Aguilas de America.
They'll make do without Jaime Javier Ayovi, the Colombian striker who has been lethal for them this season, and Osvaldo Gonzalez, their solid defender in the back line. Puebla will only be without suspended Felipe de Jesus Ayala.
Puebla are dependent on Morelia and Cruz Azul's point count to make the playoffs, as they've fallen too far behind to help themselves. Eight Azul and Morelia points (and four Pumas points) will keep the Puebla team out of the liguilla for another season.
A duel for the top spot in Mexico will take place in Mexico City... no, not América vs. Guadalajara, but Pumas UNAM vs. Tigres UANL, which also has the added ingredient of being a match featuring two of the universities in Mexico.
Pumas will need Martin Bravo to prove his statements about Ricardo Ferretti, his old coach and new Tigres boss in order to push his offense towards the finish line at Ciudad Universitaria this Sunday afternoon.
Tigres will rely on its solid back line and impressive offensive unit led by Danilinho, Hector Mancilla and Lucas Lobos in order to inflict pain on Marco Antonio Palacios' net and the Pumas defense.
Pumas lost midfielder Leandro Augusto to injury last week and missed him dearly in their first match without the Brazilian-Mexican, as the midfield looked to be in disarray in their loss to Jagures at the Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna.
Finally, Guadalajara will set the stage for the biggest match of the season: Chivas vs. America, the National Classic or "El Superclásico".
América and Chivas are both coming off wins and have placed themselves in playoff position going forward, but a loss on either side could be both a strong deterrent to their future postseason hopes as well as shattering the delicate confidence that either side has gained over the last few weeks.
With a 5-4 league win over Puebla on Sunday and a 2-1 Copa Libertadores victory against Argentinos Juniors on Wednesday, América fly high coming into the national classic, but will also deal with their third game in just seven days.
Compare that to Chivas' 2nd match in eleven days, fitting them with much-needed rest that will be sure to play a part in their match at the Estadio Omnilife against their hated rivals.
Erick Torres and Omar Arellano will be the men up front for Guadalajara, charged with hurting an America defense that has been a complete disaster for many matches this season, including almost blowing a 4-0 lead that the offense had put up last week against Puebla in just the first half of play.
América will look to exploit their great speed and skill with three men up front: Daniel Montenegro, Vicente Sanchez and Angel Reyna, neither of which is a pure box striker but all of whom possess great attacking skills.
