The Xolos vs Veracruz Liga MX Week 9 match will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2013 (7:30 PM Pacific) at the Estadio Caliente in Tijuana. Xolos is struggling under coach Jorge Almiron, but is still undefeated at home, while Veracruz has slowed down a bit after their fantastic start.
Xolos has had a huge drop in form after the unproven and inexperienced Jorge Almiron took over after Turco Mohamed left. Jorge Almiron has been attempting to fix something that was never broken; he turned Xolos from a solid, defensive-minded team, into an offensive-styled team that simply does not click.
Furthermore, Almiron has repeatedly committed substitution mistakes in the second half of several games. Almiron has a long way to go if he wants to approach the level that Turco Mohammed displayed at the helm of Tijuana. Xolos has earned just 8 points through 7 matches, and hasn’t won for three games in a row. A win against Veracruz is a must.
Tijuana will be missing two key players for the match against Veracruz: Edgar Castillo is currently with the US National Team, while Fernando Arce is with the Mexican National Team. Pablo Aguilar was scheduled to be with Paraguay, but was sent back due to a health issue, nonetheless, he will be available with Xolos. Javier Gandolfi, who was red carded in the Week 8 match against Jaguares, will not miss the game against Veracruz, because the FMF decided he was unfairly red-carded, and thus will not need not serve the customary 1-game suspension.
Related News: Liga MX Standings & Liga MX Schedule
Veracruz started off the season in great shape, winning 3 out of the first 4 matches. However, since Week 4, Veracruz has not won, tying three times and losing once. Overall, the Tiburones Rojo still have a very good amount of points- 13, enough to have them in 6th place.
The squad coached by Luna will have one significant absence though: Angel Reyna. Reyna has scored 7 goals this season, and has been the player that leads and drives this team forward. This will be the first time Veracruz plays without Reyna, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts without their key player on the field.
Xolos vs Veracruz Prediction
Xolos has not been playing well, but they are still a force to be reckoned with at the Estadio Caliente. After a hot start, Veracruz is cooling off, and the absence of Reyna should weigh on them heavily. Look for Xolos to play an offensive style, and come out with a victory, The Xolos vs Veracruz match will end in a 2-1 victory for Tijuana.
Xolos vs Veracruz Television Schedule
The Xolos vs Veracruz match will be televised this Saturday, September 7, 2013 on Azteca America at 7:30 PM Pacific.
