Club America set out to pick up their first win of the 2023-24 Mexican Liga MX campaign when they take a trip to the Estadio Corregidora to face Queretaro on Sunday.
Los Gallos Blancos will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors, having failed to win any of their last five meetings between the sides since August 2020.
Match preview
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Queretaro kicked off the 2023-23 Liga MX campaign on a high as they picked up a 2-0 victory over Santos Laguna in Monday's league opener at the Estadio Nuevo Corona.
Following a drab first half, veteran midfielder Federico Lertora broke the deadlock in the 80th minute before substitute Camilo Sanvezzo made sure of the result with a 96th-minute strike.
The aim for Los Gallos Blancos will be to make the playoffs following an abysmal 2022-23 Apertura campaign, where they picked up just nine points from 17 matches to finish last in the table.
Mauro Gerk's men head into the weekend unbeaten in all but one of their last nine matches across all competitions, picking up four wins and four draws since the second week of May.
While Queretaro will be looking to build on Monday's victory, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in their last five attempts, losing twice and claiming three draws since a 4-1 victory in August 2020.
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Club America will be looking to replicate their 2022-23 Apertura campaign, where they finish first in the standings before reaching the semi-finals of the playoffs.
However, they were denied a dream start to the new season as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Juarez when the sides squared off in last Saturday's league curtain-raiser.
Andre Jardine's side were left spitting feathers at the Estadio Azteca as Aitor Garcia and Angel Zapata scored in the final nine minutes of the game to cancel out Leonardo Suarez's first-half opener.
This was in keeping with their poor outings in the pre-season fixtures as they held to a goalless draw by Toluca on June 18, three days before a losing 1-0 at the hands of Monterrey.
With Monday's result, Club America have now failed to win their last four matches across all competitions, claiming one draw and losing three, including a 3-1 loss to Guadalajara in May's Clausura playoffs semi-finals.
However, the Aguilas are unbeaten in their 11 away matches across all competitions since the turn of the year, picking up seven wins and four draws since a 2-1 friendly loss to Cruz Azul on December 28.
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Team News
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Having left the club in July 2019, Sanvezzo marked his return to Queretaro in style and the veteran striker could be rewarded with a starting role this weekend.
Following Monday's superb defensive display, Jonathan Perlaza, Oscar Manzanares, Emanuel Gularte and Omar Mendoza should form the back four again, shielding Guillermo Allison in goal.
Club America, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without the services of Uruguayan forward Jonathan Rodriguez, who suffered a knee injury back in June.
Jardine will also be unable to call upon the trio of Luis Malagon, Henry Martin and Israel Reyes Romero, who are all on international duties with the Mexico national team at the ongoing Gold Cup.
Alejandro Zendejas is also at the Gold Cup, featuring in all of the USA's three matches so far, including a 60-minute appearance in the 6-0 thrashing of Trinidad and Tobago on Monday.
Spanish midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo will serve the second of his three-match domestic suspension after picking up a straight red against Guadalajara on May 22.
Queretaro possible starting lineup:
Allison; Perlaza, Manzanares, Gularte, Mendoza; Sierra, Escamilla, Lertora, Barrera; Supulveda, Sanvezzo
Club America possible starting lineup:
Jimenez; Alvarez, Araujo, Caceres, Layun; Sanchez, Dos Santos; Suarez, Valdes, Rodriguez; Martínez
We say: Queretaro 0-2 Club America
Club America have struggled to get going in recent weeks, but their superb form on the road makes them firm favourites this weekend. While we expect Queretaro to put up a fight, we fancy the visitors coming out victorious in this one.
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