Xolos of Tijuana will host a weakened Jaguares of Chiapas at the Estadio Caliente on Friday, August 31, 2012 at 8:30 PM EDT. Club Tijuana comes into the game with a two game winning streak against two of the Liga MX’s toughest teams, Tigres and America. They will attempt to obtain a third straight victory against Jaguares who have had a season to forget. Chiapas has had four points in its last two games, but none before that.
In Week 6 against Club America in the Estadio Azteca, Xoloitzcuintles played the most entertaining match of the season by defeated the ‘aguilas’ 1-0. That game brought Tijuana its 4th victory of the young season, and most importantly it pushed them to the 2nd place of the standings with thirteen points. At home, Xolos has a perfect record with three victories and a 4th consecutive win seems possible against a poor Jaguares. In order for Antonio Mohamed’s team to win, Tijuana must play with an organized defense and a midfield that fights to recuperate the ball on every sector of the field. These have been regular tactics under Mohamed, and if Duvier Riascos can find the net, Xolos should not have a difficult victory.
Jaguares has played better of late by obtaining its first four points of the Apertura 2012. Unfortunately, the win they had last week against Queretaro has ugly and on a small 2-1 margin, and well, it was Queretaro. Chiapas has one of the worst defenses in the league by receiving fourteen goals; therefore in order to take a point out of the border, they will need to have a perfect day in the backline. This will be a very difficult game for them, and unfortunately, it could be Jose Guadalupe Cruz’s last.
Prediction: Xolos had one really bad game this season against Leon in Week 2 when they lost 4-0. Since, this team has played wonderfully, with a menacing midfield, a solid defense, and good set pieces. Tijuana is playing good, worthy of their number two position in the standings, and if they play the way they did against America or Tigres, a victory against Chiapas is not a brain teaser. Jaguares has four points, is 15th on the table, and its defense has been beaten constantly. This team needs to play a perfect game against Tijuana to try to get a point, and realistically this seems as a far-shot. Tijuana wins this one comfortably, 2-0.
Television: The Xolos vs Pachuca Apertura 2012 match will be shown on Univision Deportes this Friday, August 31 at 8:30 PM Eastern.
