Monterrey will be hoping to record their first victory of the Liga MX season when they take on Atlas at the Estadio BBVA on Saturday evening.
In their opening match, the hosts played out a 1-1 draw away at Atletico San Luis, while the visitors recorded a solid 2-0 win against Cruz Azul.
Match preview
There were plenty of positive signs for Monterrey last season, finishing second in the Apertura, but they exited the playoffs at the semi-final stage, losing 6-2 to Pachuca on aggregate, in what was a real shock result.
In the Clausura, the White and Blues were even better, finishing top of the table, six points clear of second-placed Club America, but they again failed to deliver in the playoffs, once again being defeated at the semi-final stage, by eventual winners Tigres.
Even though they ultimately came away empty-handed last season, such is the nature of the Liga MX, there are still a lot of positives for La Pandilla to take out of last season, particularly their defensive record, which was the best in the entire division.
It is a new era at the Estadio BBVA, with former manager Victor Manuel Vucetich leaving at the end of last season, being replaced by Fernando Ortiz, but the new manager did not get off to the best of starts.
On the balance of play, Monterrey were really lucky to escape with a point against an Atletico San Luis side that struggled last season, with their opponents missing a second-half penalty, and Ortiz will be expecting a much-improved performance on Saturday.
Their opponents were not at their best last season, with Atlas finishing second-bottom in the first stage of the season, after collecting just 13 points from 17 games, leaving them six points adrift of the playoff places.
There was some improvement in the Clausura, as the Red and Blacks managed to secure a ninth-placed finish, but they exited the playoffs at the quarter-final stage after losing to fierce rivals Guadalajara over two legs.
Despite a difficult 2022-23 campaign, manager Benjamin Mora is still at the helm of La Furia, and his side got off to the perfect start this season, recording a comfortable 2-0 victory against Cruz Azul courtesy of goals from Eduardo Aguirre and Aldo Rocha.
However, Atlas will have to put a very poor recent record against their opponents behind them if they are to take anything from Saturday's game, having won just one of the last nine meetings between the two sides, failing to score in the last three.
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Team News
Monterrey have no injury concerns heading into Saturday's game, but Vucetich may choose to make one change to his side in attack, given his side's struggles in front of goal against Atletico San Luis.
Rodrigo Aguirre could come into the side at striker, replacing German Berterame, with the 27-year-old set to partner Rogelio Funes Mori, who scored 18 league goals in 31 appearances last season.
The only blight on Atlas' performance last time out is that Brian Lozano was shown a red card in the 96th minute, and the left-winger is suspended, meaning Christopher Trejo could come into the side.
Other than that, the Red and Blacks are likely to remain unchanged, with right-winger Eduardo Aguirre likely to be the danger man, having picked up a goal and assist on the opening day of the season.
Monterrey possible starting lineup:
Andrada; Aguirre, Medina, Vegas, Moreno, Meza; Cortizo, Ortiz, Govea; Aguirre, Funes Mori
Atlas possible starting lineup:
Vargas; Abella, Nervo, Santamaria, Reyes; Marquez, Rocha, Zaldivar; Aguirre, Trejo, Furch
We say: Monterrey 2-1 Atlas
Although it is still very early on, Atlas put in a very good performance against Cruz Azul on the opening day, which indicates they could pose a problem for Monterrey.
However, the hosts were dominant in the Liga MX last season, and they have a solid recent record against their opponents, therefore we expect them to eke out a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
