Games don’t get bigger than this as Tigres UANL welcomes archrival Monterrey in another edition of the Clásico Regiomontano.
As far as Clásicos go, this is arguably one of the biggest games in all of Mexico. The one caveat, however, is neither team is coming off a positive performance.
On one side, Tigres UANL arrives on the back of a 1-1 draw with Pachuca. The Felinos were completely outplayed for large parts of the game, but a late Lucas Zelarayan equalizer rescued a hard-earned draw for Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti's men. On the other, Monterrey was thumped 4-2 by Chivas after the Rayados gave up three goals in the second half to suffer their second consecutive defeat of the season.
- The UNDER has hit in three of Tigres’ last four matches across Liga MX and Copa MX.
- Monterrey is winless in its last three Liga MX matches.
- Tigres have just one defeat in their last six head-to-head matches vs Monterrey.
Tigres UANL vs Monterrey Game Center
International hangover?
For as good as Tigres have been in recent weeks, you get the feeling they haven’t been playing at their best. Let’s face it, if you are backing Tigres to win the Liga MX championship, then you are either saying this is business as usual or you are starting to get a little worried. While it is true that Tigres have a tendency to light it up late in the season, sitting seventh in the league table at this point of the campaign may seem a bit precarious.
One of the reasons argued by some analysts is that Ferretti’s role as interim manager of the Mexico national team is causing a lack of cohesiveness within the club, although Tigres’ performance against Pachuca could come down to a simple hangover from the international break. Ferretti coached two games for El Tri, losing to Uruguay and the United States.
Rayados struggle a few miles from home
As you already know, if you follow Liga MX closely, Tigres are a tough team to beat when they play at the Estadio Universitario. This is especially true in games against Rayados. Since 2013, Tigres have lost just one Clásico Regiomontano at the Universitario.
If you do the math, that is one defeat in nine games for Ferretti’s men. Their last defeat actually came in the semifinals of 2016 Clausura. Their last regular-season defeat came in the 2013 Clausura, a 1-0 win for the Rayados.
That said, there is some good news for Monterrey backers in terms of earning something positive from this crosstown trip. Three of the last four meetings between these two teams in the Universitario have ended in draws, including their very last meeting, which ended 2-2.
It’s been a low-scoring Clásico
Ironically, when we think of both Tigres and Monterrey, we think about two teams with arguably some of the most talented offenses in all of Liga MX. Nonetheless, whenever these two teams face off in regular-season meetings, the matches tend to be quite tactical, with very little in the way of goalscoring opportunities. In fact, four of the last five regular-season meetings between these two clubs have hit the UNDER. It would take something out of the ordinary to expect lots of goals from this match. Then again, all the previous meetings dating back to 2015 were with Antonio “Turco” Mohamed as coach of Monterrey, and in Diego Alonso, there is a much more offensive-minded coach in charge of the Rayados.
My pick...
The thing with both Tigres and Monterrey is that they know that the Liga MX regular season can be forgiving. It’s all about finishing among the top eight, and it’s a brand new season come playoff time. If you ask me, both of these teams are biding their time and saving up their energy for late November. That’s why I expect them to play it safe and settle for another draw.
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