Tigres and Necaxa get underway in the new Mexican Liga MX campaign when they go head to head at the Estadio Universitario on Saturday night.
The home side head into the season curtain-raiser on a four-match winning streak against Los Rayos and will be looking to extend this dominant run this weekend.
Match preview
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Tigres will kick off the new Mexican top flight hoping to improve on their performance from last season, as they finished third in the Apertura table standings before storming to the playoff final.
However, they were no match for a rampant Club America side in the final as they suffered a 4-1 aggregate defeat, holding out for a 1-1 draw at home on December 15 before the Eagles picked up a comfortable 3-0 second-leg victory at Estadio Azteca.
Tigres enjoyed an impressive second half of the season as they secured a fifth-placed finish in the Clausura, before getting knocked out of the playoffs in the quarter-finals courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Monterrey.
Veljko Paunovic's men will head into Saturday's curtain-raiser still licking their wounds from their Supercopa de la Liga MX heartbreak as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Club America in the final last weekend.
Juan Brunetta struck inside the opening seven minutes to put Tigres on course for their first silverware of the season but Javairo Dilrosun and Henry Martin scored in an 11-minute spell to turn the game on its head and hand Andre Jardine's men the title.
Necaxa, on the other hand, will look to put last season's performance behind them as they finished rock-bottom in the Apertura, having won just three of their 17 matches and claiming 15 points in the first half of the campaign.
The club opted to stick with head coach Eduardo Fentanes despite their horror first half of the season and the former Santos Laguna boss guided the club to a much-improved ninth-placed finish in the Clausura.
However, Necaxa were denied a place in the playoffs as they fell to a 2-1 loss against Pachuca in the play-in on May 6, when Alan Bautista and former West Bromwich Albion man Salomon Rondon scored second-half goals to hand Los Tuzos a vital victory.
While Los Rayos will look to begin the season as they mean to go on, their first challenge is against an opposing side who have won each of their last four meetings, scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets since a goalless draw in August 2022.
Necaxa have also failed to taste victory in any of their last eight away games against Tigres, losing five and claiming three draws since a 2-0 win in October 2016 thanks to goals from Edson Puch and Fabian Espindola.
Team News
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Nahuel Guzman was slapped with an 11-match ban by Liga MX back in April and the 38-year-old goalkeeper remains out of contention for Tigres.
Carlos Rodriguez was in goal in the Supercopa final loss to Club America and the 35-year-old should retain his role in the XI, with Javier Aquino, Guido Pizarro, Diego Reyes and Jesus Angulo forming the back four.
Former France international Andre-Pierre Gignac, who netted 17 league goals last season, should spearhead Los Rayos' attack once again, alongside Luis Quinones and Francisco Cordova.
Necaxa have bolstered their squad ahead of the new campaign, with the signing of 24-year-old midfielder Raul Sandoval, while Colombian forward Kevin Rosero joins from Greek outfit Giannina.
There are also several outgoings in Los Rayos' squad, with Jair Cortes and Edgar Mendez jumping ship while striker Facundo Batista, who netted four goals in the Apertura last season, has joined Penarol on loan.
On the injury front, Necaxa will head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Fentanes the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Tigres possible starting lineup:
Rodriguez; Aquino, Pizarro, Reyes, Angulo; Gorriaran, Carioc, Brunetta; Quinones, Cordova, Gignac
Necaxa possible starting lineup:
Unsain; Alcantar, Pena, Montes, Oliveros; Gomez, Sandoval; Garnica, Palavecino, Monreal; Cambindo
We say: Tigres 2-1 Necaxa
The last four meetings between Tigres and Necaxa have produced a combined 13 goals and we anticipate another thrilling contest at the Estadio Universitario. Tigres' home advantage gives them a slight edge and we are tipping them to extend their winning streak against the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
