The Jaguares vs Atlante match at Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8:30 PM EST may very well be the deciding factor ending El Profe Cruz’ tenure with Chiapas. Jaguares has just been awful (and I really mean awful) in its first three Liga MX games, losing all three matches by a combined score of 3-10. On the other side, La Volpe’s Atlante is yet to win a game, having tied two out of their last three Liga MX matches; however, Atlante has not been awful, they’ve actually had decent results when you look at their tough schedule.
Jaguares lost its last match against Monterrey 2-1, making it their third loss in a row (also lost against Tigres and America). The only good thing that can be said about Jaguares’ third loss is that the team didn’t receive four goals, like it did against Tigres and America. Also, Jaguares didn’t really play that bad, although they did end up with another addition to the L column. The offense had several decent chances, and the defense looked just slightly better (just slightly). Still, I think this team has to be suffering from low morale: three losses, bad preseason, bad Copa MX so far, and a coach who’s saying everything’s alright. Don’t expect much from this team in Week 4 of the Liga MX.
Atlante has had a tough Liga MX schedule so far: Pachuca, Tigres, and Club America. For a modest team like Atlante, which virtually has no stars, getting two points out of these three games is not bad (I mean, it’s not like Atlante is going to the playoffs anytime soon). La Volpe knows how to position his limited squad, and he has managed to scrape points off of Pachuca and America, and played a tough loss at Tigres. I expect Atlante to do the same against Jaguares, playing a smart, counterattacking style.
Prediction: Jaguares is desperate for any points, and the desperation will show in their game. I expect Atlante will do what La Volpe has taught them to do, fall back in an orderly fashion, and score when the counterattacking opportunity arises. As the time passes and the score remains tied, Jaguares will become desperate and risk too much on the attack, leading to several opportunities for Atlante. Atlante will take full advantage and win the match, leading to El Profe Cruz’s firing/resignation from Jaguares. The score will be Jaguares 1 – Atlante 2.
Television: The Jaguares vs Atlante match will be shown on Azteca America at 8:30 PM EST this Friday, August 10th.
