When América and Chivas take the pitch of the historic ‘Coloso de Santa Úrsula’ on Saturday, they will be doing so living vastly different realities. ‘Las Águilas’ lead Liga MX with 20 points, having lost only their most-recent match against Toluca, while ‘El Rebaño’ is ninth with 13 points, and is undergoing yet another transformation process after sacking now-former manager Víctor Manuel Vucetich during the week.
América boast the second best defensive record in the league and have won three of their last five games, while Guadalajara have the fourth worst offense in Liga MX and only managed to secure the three points once in their last five matches. The ‘Azulcremas’ have won both times they faced Chivas under the management of Santiago Solari, once in league action and the other in a friendly, which bodes well against a team that is led by interim manager Marcelo Michel Leaño. The current head of youth development and institutional soccer at the club will take charge of Chivas for an undisclosed period of time, according to sporting director Ricardo Peláez, after which he will make way for who reports in Mexican media state could be Jaime Lozano.
There is a clear favorite for this week’s ‘Clásico Nacional’: América, with recent history and current form proving so much.The last time both teams faced each other in Liga MX action, América resoundingly proved the better side, taking over the Estadio Akron with a 3-0 win that included a Henry Martín brace and a Sebastián Córdova goal following a terrible Raúl Gudiño mistake. The ‘Rojiblancos’ haven’t beaten the ‘Águilas’ in the Liga MX regular season since February 2017, with the only exceptions being the Guard1anes 2020 Liguilla quarter-finals, where three Cristian Calderón golazos sent América packing. If the ‘Rojiblancos’ are to put behind over four years of hurt and conquer the Azteca, they will need to considerably improve their recent form. Here’s a quick guide on what we can expect from both teams on Saturday:
Club América
Last 5 games:
- Toluca 3-1 América
- América 2-0 Mazatlán
- León 1-1 América
- América 2-0 Tijuana
- América 2-1 Juárez
Next 5 games:
- vs. Chivas
- @Pachuca
- vs. Pumas
- @Atlético de San Luis
- vs. Santos Laguna
Injuries / Suspensions:
América have been harshly struck by injury during the Grita México A21, with Santiago Naveda, Leo Suárez and Renato Ibarra out for the season. Mario Osuna was brought in to replace Naveda, while Ibarra himself had originally been put back into the first team after Suárez injury.
The only player suspended for the ‘Águilas’ is Sebastián Cáceres. The Uruguayan center back received two yellow cards against Toluca, and even though América officially protested to Liga MX authorities to have the second one rescinded, Cáceres will miss the match against Chivas.
Possible lineup:
Guillermo Ochoa;
Jorge Sánchez, Bruno Valdez, Emanuel Aguilera, Luis Fuentes;
Richard Sánchez, Pedro Aquino, Álvaro Fidalgo;
Salvador Reyes, Sebastián Córdova;
Henry Martín.
Henry Martín #21 of Club America celebrates after scoring during the second half against Philadelphia Union during the semifinal second leg match between Philadelphia and America as part of the CONCACAF Champions League 2021 (Getty Images).
Club Deportivo Guadalajara
Last 5 games
- Chivas 1-0 Pachuca
- Pumas 0-0 Chivas
- Chivas 2-1 Necaxa
- Monterrey 0-0 Chivas
- Chivas 0-3 León
Next 5 games
Injuries /Suspensions:
With forward Ángel Zaldívar and goalkeeper Antonio Rodríguez fully rejoining Chivas’ training sessions, the only doubt for Leaño’s side will be Alexis Vega. By far the ‘Rojiblancos’’ best player in the Grita México A21, Vega suffered an injury with the Mexican national team during the World Cup Qualifiers in early September. The skillful attacker has seemingly recovered and has started to train with the rest of his teammates, but his true fitness level is yet to be seen. There are currently no suspended players for Chivas, a welcome sight for the team that needs to win to approach direct Liguilla qualification spots.
Possible lineup:
Raúl Gudiño;
Jesús Sánchez, Antonio Briseño, Luis Olivas, Alejandro Mayorga;
Jesús Molina, Antonio Torres;
Isaác Brizuela, Jesús Angulo, Uriel Antuna;
Ángel Zaldívar
Jesús Angulo #19 of Chivas celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal of his team during the 9th round match between Chivas and Pachuca as part of the Torneo Grita Mexico A21 (Getty Images).
