Juarez vs Pumas – News and Probable Lineups

In search of their initial points of the season, Juarez will host Pumas at Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez this Friday evening for the third round of the Liga MX campaign.

The home side has incurred consecutive 1-0 losses against Puebla and Guadalajara, while Pumas bounced back from a heavy opening day defeat against Pachuca with a 2-1 victory over Toluca in their last outing.

Match overview

After placing 11th in Liga MX last season, Pedro Caixinha’s Juarez narrowly failed to secure a top-10 finish and started this new season with hopes of progressing further.

Nevertheless, Los Bravos have faced a frustrating beginning to their season, losing both opening matches by a solitary goal.

In their first match against Puebla, Juarez had a numerical advantage for a significant part of the second half but failed to capitalize, and then they were condemned to a 1-0 defeat against Guadalajara by Roberto Alvarado’s last-minute goal.

Concerningly for Caixinha, Juarez remains the only team in the league that has yet to find the back of the net this season.

The Portuguese manager will be eager for his squad to reclaim the attacking prowess they exhibited during a promising unbeaten pre-season, in which they recorded two wins, two draws, and netted eight goals.

Pumas, on the other hand, won the Torneo Clausura earlier this year but eventually finished as runners-up in the end-of-season phase, although head coach Efrain Juarez departed in June and Esteban Solari has taken over the reins.

Solari began his tenure in Mexico with an impressive coaching record but faced a disappointing 3-0 loss against Pachuca during his debut, with Elias Montiel and former Premier League forward Salomon Rondon contributing to Pumas’ heavy defeat.

However, they made a strong response last weekend, overturning a deficit to win 2-1 against Toluca thanks to goals from Victor Arteaga and Sebastian Cordova.

Despite the win, Solari is aware that there is considerable room for improvement.

Pumas only managed eight attempts at goal compared to Toluca’s 17, with merely three shots on target, signifying they have registered just four shots on target across their initial two league fixtures.

This victory propelled the Mexico City club into 12th position, though with only two games played, the standings are still largely inconsequential.

The two teams have clashed 22 times in the past, with Juarez securing only five victories, while Pumas has won seven times and there have been ten draws.

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Team News

Juarez is anticipated to be missing Gilberto Sepulveda, who had to leave the field due to injury late in the match against Guadalajara.

Ricardo Juarez is likely to step in as his replacement in the defense, while Lucas Romero remains sidelined due to a long-term knee injury.

Oscar Estupinan, who was Juarez’s top scorer in the league last season, is expected to retain his spot in attack despite not having found the net yet this term.

Pumas have no new injury issues after their win last weekend, although Solari may decide to implement some changes.

Cordova made an immediate impact off the bench by netting the winning goal against Toluca and may be rewarded with a starting position, likely at the expense of Pablo Bennevendo.

Three-time Champions League winner Keylor Navas is also set to continue in goal as he approaches his 550th career start.

Juarez probable starting XI:

Jurado, Aquino, Juarez, Murillo, Ortega, Mayorga; Ricardinho, Garcia, Castilho, Rodriguez; Stupid

Pumas probable starting XI:

Navas; Cordova, Silva, Duarte, Angulo; Lopez, Vite, Arteaga; Antuna, Juninho, Morales

Juarez will be eager to rectify their trend of two consecutive losses, but their goal-scoring drought and dismal record against Pumas present another challenging encounter.

The visitors demonstrated resilience by coming back against Toluca, and we anticipate Solari’s team to capitalize on this momentum in what is likely to be another tight affair.