Tijuana’s season couldn’t be any more different from the one Chiapas in currently enduring.After 13 weeks of Liga MX futbol, Xolos have taken charge o
Tijuana’s season couldn’t be any more different from the one Chiapas in currently enduring.
After 13 weeks of Liga MX futbol, Xolos have taken charge of the Apertura tournament with eight wins and 27 points gained. Individual standouts like Dayro Moreno and Guido Rodriguez have helped carry the team through the season and pushed Tijuana up to a current spot at first place in the league table.
As for Los Jaguares, Chiapas has stumbled through the competition with a meager tally of six points and just one victory in 13 games. Looking at the club’s attack, it’s no surprise that the squad is sitting in last place after only scoring seven goals so far in the Apertura. For the sake of comparison, it’s interesting to note that Tijuana had seven scored by July 29th.
Long story short: The odds are heavily in Xolos’ favor this Friday when Chiapas visits the Estadio Caliente.
Tijuana manager Miguel “Piojo” Herrera won’t get a test any easier than this in the regular season, and considering the recent 1-0 loss to America last weekend, he will be eager to bounce back with a convincing victory at home.
As for the Xolos roster, fans will be happy to know that defender and team captain Juan Carlos Valenzuela is back to full health after recovering from a recent injury. That said, with the playoffs around the corner in late November, Herrera might not be rushed to bring back Valenzuela just yet to the starting XI.
Speaking of the playoffs, there should be plenty of motivation to find a win when you consider that Tijuana is on the cusp of qualifying for the Liguilla. If Xolos are able to gain three points this Friday, they will automatically have a spot guaranteed for next month’s playoffs.
After trudging through an awful start to 2016, which included a dismal spot at 14th in the Clausura tournament, Herrera is now just one victory away from bringing playoff soccer back to Tijuana.
Expect the manager to utilize his usual attack-friendly and fluid 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation against Chiapas. Keeping in mind that Los Jaguares have given up a total of 24 goals so far in the competition, Xolos’ dynamic attack should have no problems finding the back of the net.
Predicted result: Xolos 3-0 Chiapas
Predicted starting XI for Xolos
