Necaxa vs Pumas UNAM Odds, Prediction, Picks

Necaxa vs Tigres UANL Predictions

Tigres UANL are the heavy favorites against Necaxa FC on Sunday as the Liga MX returns for the Apertura phase after the long break for the Leagues Cup. The match will take place at Necaxa’s home ground, the Estadio Victoria de Aguascalientes. Necaxa are unfortunately in the midst of a horrible spell that has seen them fail to win a single match out of their past 11. 

Tigres UANL, on the other hand, have lost only once in their last 11 outings, a stark contrast from their next opponents. Los Tigres also had a great run in the 2023 Leagues Cup, making it to the quarterfinals where they were ousted by Monterrey. 

However, they come back to the Liga MX Apertura 2023/24 season as one of the favorites to lift the trophy, having achieved the feat in the Clausura 2022/23 phase. The odds are stacked heavily in favor of Tigres to seal a comfortable victory against Necaxa on Sunday. 

The two teams have faced off 16 times so far. Tigres dominates the head-to-head record against Necaxa with eight victories and just two losses. However, the remaining six competitive encounters between these two teams have ended in a draw. 

The last time these two teams met was on March 03, 2023, when Tigres UANL traveled to Necaxa’s home and came away with a 1-0 victory. Seven of their 16 meetings have taken place at the Estadio Victoria de Aguascalientes, but Necaxa has bagged only one win at their home ground. 

Tigres UANL have not lost to Necaxa in their last three meetings, registering two wins and one draw. The last time Necaxa recorded a victory over Tigres was in April 2022 in the Liga MX Clausura phase. Given their history, odds are strongly in favor of Tigres UANL winning their encounter on Sunday, with higher chances of a draw as compared to a Necaxa victory.

Necaxa Hope For a Different Season

Necaxa had a dismal season in the Liga MX Apertura and Clausura phases last year, failing to qualify for the playoffs. The team has registered only three victories in their last 30 games. The last win came 11 matches ago. Coach Rafael Dudamel will really hope to be able to turn things around this Liga MX season as the Apertura 2023/24 has just begun.

After three games played, Los Rayos sit in the 14th position out of 18 in the Liga MX table. They have accumulated two points from two draws so far, and one loss. 

Things have only been downhill for Necaxa since 2019, when they were runners-up at the Supercopa MX, having won it in 2018. Los Rayos are not unfamiliar with winning ways, having picked up the Apertura trophy twice and the Clausura trophy twice as well. However, this time around, Dudamel will just hope to be able to get his team qualified for the playoffs.

Goalscoring Concern

As Los Rayos have failed to win in their last 11 attempts, they have also failed to score in seven out of those 11 games. Goalscoring is a huge concern for Dudamel’s men. His team is averaging 0.33 goals scored per game, which is an alarming number. 

On the other hand, defensively his team has been extremely poor. In the two matches they played in the Leagues Cup group stage, they let in seven goals in total, three against Dallas and four against Charlotte FC. At this rate, keeping out the attack from Tigres UANL is going to be an uphill task for Necaxa. In their 16 encounters, Tigres have kept a clean sheet eight times against Necaxa and are likely to do so again on Sunday.

Home Form  

Necaxa’s home form has been less than acceptable as they have failed to win a single match at the Estadio Victoria de Aguascalientes since February 16, 2023. As compared to this, Tigres UANL are unbeaten in their last four away games. 

In their head-to-head with Tigres as well, Necaxa has registered only one victory at their home ground, which came in April 2022. Given their home form, a draw would be considered as a good result for the home side. Therefore, Dudamel’s best chance of taking away any points from this fixture is to play for a draw. 

Tigres UANL Hope to Continue Good Run

Tigres UANL has lost only one game since the start of June 2023. They have recorded five wins and two draws and just one loss in their previous eight games. Currently placed fifth, they return to the Liga MX Apertura 2023/24 season with their clash against Necaxa, having won four of their last five games, losing just that solitary game against CF Monterrey in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Leagues Cup. 

Robert Siboldi’s men are the reigning champions of the Liga MX Clausura 2022/23 season. They started the Apertura phase for the new season on a low note, struggling to get back to winning ways, drawing against Puebla and FC Juarez. 

However, they finally returned to winning ways before the Liga MX broke for the Leagues Cup, by beating reigning CONCACAF Champions League winners, Club Leon at home. The win bolstered Los Tigres to make a spirited run to the quarterfinals in the Leagues Cup, defeating American teams like Portland, San Jose, and Vancouver in the process.

Goalscoring Struggles

Despite having an attacking trio of Andre-Pierre Gignac, Luis Quinones, and Nicolas Ibanez, Los Tigres have an average of only 1 goal per match. They have each scored one goal so far in the Apertura 2023/24 phase and the team has already conceded two goals in their two draws, putting their goal difference at just +1. 

Though Necaxa have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games, Siboldi’s men will have to get creative to find the back of the net. However, they have had a decent goalscoring record against their next opponents, having scored 21 times in their 16 meetings. 

Tigres UANL Aiming For Reset in Liga MX

Eight-time Liga MX champions Tigres UANL have had a slow start to the league stage in the Apertura 2023/24, with two draws and one win. However, their spirits will be lifted after a buoyant performance in the 2023 Leagues Cup. 

The reigning Clausura champions had a similar story last season, where they qualified for the playoffs being placed seventh in the league. Despite that, they managed to battle their way to the championship through the playoffs. This time around though, Tigres will want to finish higher in the league stage due to the changed format. They are currently placed fifth with five points. Though the top-6 will directly qualify as per the new rules, Tigres cannot afford to slip further down as they will have to play eliminators to make it to the playoffs.