Toluca vs. Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Pick & Prediction MAR 18th 2023
Ethan Wilson
Tijuana vs Toluca: they want to continue in the playoff zone
The action continues in the Clausura 2023 Tournament and the Mexico League begins to enter the final stretch. And with six games to go, many teams are bidding for a place among the four teams that advance non-stop to the quarterfinals, as well as those who want to earn their place in the playoff zone. Indeed, two of the teams that would be qualifying for the playoffs will face each other on Saturday March 18 when Tijuana receives the always complicated Toluca at the Caliente Stadium.
On the one hand, Xolos is going through a mental and football revolution after the arrival of Miguel Piojo Herrera that allowed him to leave the bottom of the table and begin to become one of the revelations of sports forecasts that already gave him as eliminated from the playoffs. Indeed, to continue in a privileged area, Tijuana will have to strengthen itself at home when it receives the Red Devils.
For its part, Toluca continues to be one of the cheerleaders at the top of the standings and Ignacio Ambriz knows that the duel at the Estadio Caliente could be a turning point to get among the first four teams towards the quarterfinals. Indeed, the Red Devils will seek to assert their favoritism in the sports forecasts to keep the three points as a visitor.
Last matches of Tijuana
The dismissal of technical director Ricardo Valiño was as necessary as it was productive. It is that the team was wandering at the bottom of the standings with an unclear football idea where it seemed that everything was left to chance or the good will of the players.
Rookie defensive errors, a midfield without intensity and little effectiveness in attack were some of the symptoms that catapulted the Argentine coach out of Xolos. And after said game, the one chosen by the board was neither more nor less than an experienced and old connoisseur of Mexican soccer like Miguel Piojo Herrera.
Almost as if by magic, Xolos changed their attitude and mentality to climb positions and get back into the Repechage zone, in line with what sports betting had anticipated at the beginning of the season.
Currently, Xolos de Tijuana occupies ninth place in the standings with 11 points in 10 rounds at stake, product of 2 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, scoring 9 goals in favor and conceding 11 goals, a somewhat high number having take into account the individual hierarchy that Tijuana holds in the defensive zone.
For its part, the last matches of Xolos in the Clausura 2023 Tournament were as follows: they defeated Atlético San Luis 1-0 at home, lost 2-1 as a visitor to Chivas de Guadalajara, lost 2-1 against América in another logical result for sports betting, defeated Pachuca 2-0 at home and closed the last day with a 1-1 draw against Atlas.
Last matches of Toluca
Ignacio Ambriz seems to have found his place in the world. It is that both the board of directors, as well as the players and fans are very satisfied with what the coach has shown at the head of the Red Devils.
It happens that Toluca is an orderly institution at all levels, with a squad that meets its objectives and a magnificent stadium where the public roars and cheers non-stop. Indeed, the Red Devils are going through a good collective and individual moment, so dreaming of advancing directly to the quarterfinals is not a utopia.
Despite the fact that Toluca is not among the first four teams in the tournament, the reality indicates that it is located just one point behind Pachuca, who today would be avoiding the playoffs. Indeed, the Red Devils reaped 18 units in 10 games played with 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses, scoring 17 goals for and receiving 8 goals.
On the other hand, the last duels of Toluca in the Clausura 2023 Tournament were as follows: they defeated Cruz Azul 3-1 in La Bombonera, they thrashed Santos Laguna 5-0 as a visitor in a hit that surprised the forecasts Liga México , defeated Pachuca 2-1 away from home, beat Atlético San Luis 2-0 and closed the last day with an unexpected 1-0 defeat against Querétaro.
Background between both
Tijuana and Toluca played 29 matches in the Mexico League with 12 victories for the Red Devils, 11 victories for Xolos and 6 draws. Likewise, in the Caliente Stadium they met 14 times with 8 local victories for Tijuana, 4 draws and 2 visiting victories for Toluca.
A piece of information to consider at the time of the Mexico League predictions is that the last duel between the two at the Caliente Stadium was a 2-0 away victory for Toluca in the framework of the 2021-2022 Apertura Tournament.
The magnifying glass on...
Alexis Canelo and Lisandro López are the top scorers for Xolos with 2 goals each, while Cavallini, Lértora and Martínez scored one goal each and want to surprise the Red Devils' defense.
The magnifying glass on...
Toluca found its scorers in Carlos González and Maximiliano Araújo, taking into account that both scored 3 goals each and are the favorites of the Mexico League forecasts to open the scoring at the Caliente Stadium, while Brian García and Leonardo Fernández scored 2 goals in the Closing Tournament 2023.
Schedules and television
United States: Saturday, March 18, 11:05 p.m. ESPN+ and ESPN Sports.