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Reigning champions Atlas will entertain Cruz Azul at the Jalisco Stadium in their Liga MX Apertura fixture on Saturday.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides in three weeks as they locked horns in the Campeon de Campeones fixture last month, which ended in a win for Cruz Azul on penalties.
Atlas have endured a slow start to their title defense as they are winless in their two league games thus far. They kicked off their campaign with a goalless draw against Club America and fell to a 3-2 defeat against Toluca last time around. They conceded three goals within the first 15 minutes of the game and were unable to overcome a three-goal deficit.
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Cruz Azul have a win and a defeat in their two league fixtures this term. They suffered a 2-1 defeat against league leaders Pachuca last time around. Santiago Giménez scored from the penalty spot for the second game in a row for La Maquina.
Atlas vs Cruz Azul Head-to-Head
The two sides have locked horns 65 times across all competitions. Cruz Azul have been the better side in this fixture and enjoy a 33-18 lead in wins while 14 games have ended in draws.
Last season's Apertura clash between the two sides at Saturday's venue ended in a goalless draw, while Cruz Azul secured a 1-0 win in their Clausura meeting.
Atlas form guide (all competitions): L-D-L
Cruz Azul form guide (all competitions): L-W-W
Atlas vs Cruz Azul Team News
Atlas
Los Rojinegros will not be able to count upon the services of Julio Cesar Furch, who is currently recovering from facial surgery. New signing Mauro Manotas suffered an unfortunate ACL injury in the opening game of the season and is sidelined for the rest of the season.
Injured: Julio Cesar Furch, Mauro Manotas.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Cruz Azul
Ignacio Rivero returned to training with the rest of the squad, so the capital club have no absentees for their trip to Guadalajara. New signing Carlos Rotondi has also trained with the team but will likely start from the bench in this game.
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Atlas vs Cruz Azul Predicted XIs
Atlas (3-5-2): Camilo Vargas (GK); Anderson Santamaría, Hugo Nervo, Emanuel Aguilera; Aldo Rocha, Luis Reyes, Edgar Zaldívar, Jose Abella, Edison Flores; Jonathan Herrera, Alberto Ocejo.
Cruz Azul (4-2-3-1): Sebastian Jurado (GK); Julio Cesar Dominguez, Jose Joaquin Martinez, Luis Abram, Juan Escobar; Erik Lira, Rafael Baca; Uriel Antuna, Christian Tabo, Santiago Gimenez; Angel Romero.
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Atlas vs Cruz Azul Prediction
Atlas have struggled in the league fixtures thus far but this will be their first home game of the season and they will be looking to produce a solid display in front of their fans. Cruz Azul suffered a loss in their previous league outing and will be looking to obtain a better outcome in this game.
There's nothing much to separate the two sides at the moment and, given their recent history, the match will likely end in a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Atlas 1-1 Cruz Azul
