Atlas FC vs. Club Tijuana Odds, Prediction, Picks

WSN

20 January 2024

Atlas FC vs. Club Tijuana Odds, Prediction, Picks

Atlas FC vs. Club Tijuana Predictions

Atlas’ last win in Liga MX came in the Apertura 2023 season against FC Juarez in September. After that, the club lost three consecutive games against Puebla, Chivas Guadalajara, and Mazatlan FC. They were held to a draw by Leon and then lost three in a row again, this time against Tijuana, Pachuca, and Pumas UNAM. Their season ended with a draw against Necaxa, and now the new campaign has begun with a loss against the same team.

Tijuana may not have started the season with a win, but a defeat against the prolific defending champions will not crush their spirits. It will be a very difficult task to stop Club America this season. Two out of the last three defeats Tijuana have encountered have been against Club America. Apart from that, the clubs shocked quite a few teams in the Apertura 2023 campaign. The biggest upset came when Tijuana blanked Tigres UANL 2-0 in November.

Tijuana have a great recent record against Atlas but have been quite poor on the road. Meanwhile, Atlas failed to capitalize on home advantage on multiple occasions in the Apertura season. Both clubs will bring their A-game to the pitch in this fixture to clinch all three points but will end up sharing them after a frustrating stalemate.

These two clubs have locked horns on 25 occasions in Liga MX. Almost half of these encounters have ended in draws, with Tijuana winning ten and Atlas winning only four. One of those Tijuana victories came last season when goals from Christian Rivera and Kevins Castaneda gave the hosts a comfortable 2-0 win.

When Atlas hosted Tijuana in the Apertura 2022 season, goals from Lucas Rodriguez and Renato Ibarra turned the game on its head after Atlas broke the deadlock via Martin Hugo Nervo in the sixth minute. The visitors finished that game with ten men after Nicolas Diaz picked up a second yellow in second-half stoppage time.

Atlas’ last win over Tijuana came almost three years ago, in the Clausura 2021 season. Renato Ibarra scored the only goal in that match. The win margin could have been double but Victor Malcorra missed from the spot as Atlas held on to clinch valuable three points.

New Gaffer Expects Better From Atlas FC

Atlas' first match of the new Clausura season featured everything but a win, as the club could not get the better of a mediocre Necaxa side and lost by just a single goal margin despite being reduced to nine men.

That game was also Benat San Jose's first game as head coach of Atlas. The visitors started off well and kept their composure till the hour-mark, after which things went haywire, and Atlas conceded two goals in the final five minutes of the game to lose all three points.

Only a win in the next match will rectify the silly mistakes San Jose's side committed against Necaxa and also end their nine-game winless streak in Liga MX.

Atlas Duo Will Miss the Match Due to Suspension

Mauro Manotas suffered an ACL injury in the Apertura 2023 regular season match against Pumas in November and has been out since then. The midfielder is set to miss the whole season and, hence, will not be able to feature against his former side.

Apart from that, Atlas do not have any other injury concerns but will be without midfielder Aldo Rocha and winger Christopher Trejo, as both players received straight reds in the last match.

Dull Debut for Loanee Sparks Concern

Coach San Jose has added Jhon Murillo to his roster for this season. The Venezuelan attacker has joined the club on loan from Atletico de San Luis. Murillo made his debut against Necaxa but was quite underwhelming as he created no chances and attempted no shots in the game.

Seven minutes past the hour mark, he was taken off and replaced by Augusto Solari. The gaffer will expect a better performance from the loanee in the next match.

Decent Recent Record Backs Club Tijuana

Tijuana may have lost their opening match of the Clausura 2024 season, but that will not discourage them from aiming for a positive result against Atlas in the next game. The visitors are on a small losing streak of three games but are unbeaten against Atlas in the last five.

In those five games, Tijuana have won four, and two of those wins have come in Atlas' backyard. Before commencing this unfortunate losing streak, the club beat Atlas and Tigres UANL towards the end of the Apertura 2023 season.

Earlier that same season, they also pulled off stellar victories against San Luis, FC Juarez, and Toluca.

Visitors Desperate to End Drought on the Road

A win against Atlas will not only hand Tijuana a win after three miserable defeats but it will also end a horrendous winless run away from home in Liga MX. After beating Mazatlan towards the end of the Clausura 2023 season, Tijuana went the entire Apertura 2023 season without registering an away win.

They lost seven out of eight games that they played on the road and drew one. Coach Miguel Herrera will be eager to guide his club to their first away win in Liga MX since April 2023.

Integration of New Striker Will Be Interesting

Coach Herrera started the season with a 4-1-4-1 formation, leaving room for just a solitary striker upfront. Tijuana signed Queretaro FC striker Jose Zuniga to increase their attacking prowess, and the Colombian made his debut after coming off the bench in the match against Club America.

The 29-year-old replaced Fernando Madrigal as Tijuana switched formations to form a two-man frontline. In the next match, it will be interesting to see what tactic and formation Herrera deploys and how he integrates Zuniga into the starting eleven.