Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul Pick & Prediction JAN 14th 2023
Cruz Azul vs Monterrey: duel of the needy
The Clausura 2023 Tournament proved that it will be one of the most difficult tournaments of the last decade with unexpected results on the first day and teams that were presumed weak that will do the impossible to earn a place among the 12 playoff qualifiers. Indeed, two of the most powerful started without victory and next Saturday Cruz Azul and Monterrey will look for their first three points to get closer to the top.
On the one hand, the Cement Machine once again disappointed at the beginning of the season and failed to get out of a tie on their visit to Xolos de Tijuana. Now, those led by Raúl Gutiérrez will seek to transform the Azteca Stadium into a fortress where the other teams leave empty-handed.
For his part, Rayados is always a favorite of sports forecasts to fight at the top of the championship, although he had a forgettable debut and was left empty-handed at home, against Chivas de Guadalajara, who surprised him to place him in the last few table positions.
Last matches of Cruz Azul
Raúl Gutiérrez remains firm at the helm of the team after last season in which he achieved the first objective of advancing to the playoffs, although he was quickly fired against Rayados de Monterrey in the quarterfinals.
The new season renewed the illusions and the fans hope that the Clausura 2022 Tournament will be the one for Cruz Azul to return to the front pages of sports newspapers based on good soccer results and better performance on the field of play.
The experienced coach proposes a realistic idea of the game, with a team willing to withdraw into their own half when they do not have possession of the ball and ready to counterattack quickly. However, the debut of the Cement Machine was not as expected with a bittersweet result after the 1-1 away from home against Xolos de Tijuana.
One of the salvageable aspects for the Cement Machine is that the team managed to recover from an adverse 1-0 and in the end they rescued a valuable point that they must revalidate on the second day with the support of their people, although with most of the forecasts sports against him.
Currently, Cruz Azul remains in fifth place in the standings with 1 accumulated point, one goal scored and one conceded, remaining two units behind the leaders Chivas, Atlético San Luis, Tigres and Pumas.
Last matches of Monterrey
Víctor Manuel Vucetich was ratified in the position after a past season where he alternated good and bad results. At that time, Rayados fulfilled the premise of qualifying for the playoffs among the first four teams in line with what was expected by sports betting by history and squad.
However, the loss against Pachuca is still a difficult wound to heal and this season Rayados will look for a revenge to be crowned with glory once and for all. Vucetich continues to propose his idea of being dominant in all stadiums and regardless of the rival on duty, as history forces him to.
Despite the fact that the game idea is ambitious, Monterrey started the season in the worst way after an unexpected defeat for sports betting by 0-1 at home against Chivas in a game where it could not be forceful and suffered some defensive decoupling that they left him empty-handed and the concern of his fans.
Indeed, Monterrey occupies the penultimate position in the standings after not adding points, not scoring goals and conceding a goal. Now, it will be the perfect moment for the kick-off and the fans are already preparing to welcome the team with an early final climate at the BBVA Stadium.
Mario DeLuca
Background between both
Monterrey and Cruz Azul played 52 matches in the Mexico League with 20 wins for Máquina Cementera, 19 draws and 13 wins for Rayados. In addition, at the Azteca Stadium they met 26 times with 10 home victories for Rayados, 11 draws and just 5 visiting victories for Cruz Azul.
A fact to consider when making Mexico League forecasts is that the last match between the two at the Azteca Stadium was a goalless draw when they played the first leg duel for the quarterfinals of the 2022-2023 Apertura Tournament.
The magnifying glass on...
Rayados have yet to score goals in the Closing Tournament, although they have top players in all their lines who can uneven at any time, such as Rogelio Funes Mori, Germán Berterame and Maximiliano Meza.
The magnifying glass on…
Carlos Rodríguez arrives fired up for the clash against Rayados considering that he scored the only goal in the 1-1 draw against Xolos de Tijuana. Therefore, he is the top scorer of the Cement Machine and the favorite of the Mexico League forecasts to open the scoring next Saturday.
Sports bets
The main betting houses take for granted the visiting victory of Rayados at the Azteca Stadium. In effect, the visiting victory of Monterrey offers an odd of 2.37, placing the tie at 3.20 and the local victory of Cruz Azul at 3.00.
Taking into account that these are two teams with a lot of history, the double opportunity is a good option so as not to be left empty-handed: Cruz Azul or tie offers 1.53, tie or Rayados 1.36 and the same figure for Cruz Azul or Monterrey.
On the other hand, if both teams convert, the fee to be received will be 1.80, while the correct score is a 1-1 tie between the two whose sum is 6.00. Finally, an interesting combination is that of Monterrey 0-1 at halftime and 1-1 final result whose total sum amounts to 19.00.
Schedules and television
Argentina: Saturday 8:00 p.m. Star+.
Brazil: 8:00 p.m. Star+.
Colombia: 6:00 p.m. Star+.
Mexico: 6:00 p.m. Star+ and ESPN Mexico.