View the Pachuca 1 – 1 Monterrey highlights here.
The Pachuca vs Monterrey match will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 8:00 PM EDT at the Estadio Hidalgo. This match will feature two teams that are sorely in need of wins if they want to stay withing reach of the playoff spots. For Pachuca, this is a must-win match, with only 14 points earned so far, anything other than a victory essentially knocks them out of playoff contention. Will Hugo Sanchez finally get his team to play well?
Pachuca: facing a win-or-elimination match
Pachuca has lost two out of its last three matches, and hasn’t won since Week 10. Now, Pachuca finds itself in the 13th spot of the standings with only 14 points. Previous Liga MX history shows that the usual minimum requirement to get into the playoffs is 25-27 points; Pachuca would need to win its last four matches to reach this level. Thus, anything other than a win against Monterrey would essentially destroy all playoff chances.
Unfortunately for Pachuca, under Hugo Sanchez’ guidance, this team has never looked like it possessed any distinct playing style. An ineffective offense (only nine goals scored so far), reinforcements that have not produced, and an overall inability to win games. Hugo Sanchez’ Pachuca has characterized itself by being a team that sits back in the hopes of getting a 0-0 draw or a 1-0 victory. This will not work against Monterrey.
Monterrey must earn points against Pachuca
Monterrey currently finds itself with 17 points with an extra game at hand (they rescheduled their Week 13 match) in the 10th spot of the standings. Monterrey is also in need of a win, but is not in such a dire state as Pachuca is. With five games remaining (including the Pachuca vs Monterrey match), Monterrey would need to get about 10 more points to assure a playoff spot.
Monterrey’s last five matches will be against Pachuca, Santos, Tigres, Toluca, and Cruz Azul. It’s clear that the most accessible match of the last five is Saturday’s game against Pachuca. A loss at the Estadio Hidalgo would force Monterrey to earn three wins from its last four matches, not an easy task given the opponents. Thus, this match against Pachuca also becomes sort of a must-win for Monterrey as well.
Prediction: The Pachuca vs Monterrey match will show us two teams that need to get wins, and that necessity should show in the playing styles. There is no excuse for Pachuca to play its usual “park the bus” style, they must win if they plan on going to the playoffs. Monterrey also needs points, and a loss would seriously jeopardize their playoff hopes. The Pachuca vs Monterrey will end in a 1-2 win for Monterrey, which will essentially eliminate Pachuca from the playoffs.
Television: The Pachuca vs Monterrey match will be televised on Univision Deportes this Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 8:00 PM EDT.
