Cruz Azul vs Club America Predictions
The start of the Apertura season could not have gotten worse for Cruz Azul, as they lost all three of their games before the break. The side lost the two away games against Atlas FC and Club Tijuana. Between these two games, Cruz Azul lost at home against Toluca.
In the 2023 Leagues Cup opener, they were eliminated in the first knockout round. Resuming the Apertura campaign, Cruz Azul held Santos Laguna to a draw and then lost against Apertura 2022 champions Pachuca. The winless streak ended last weekend when Cruz Azul shocked CF Monterrey 2-1.
After missing out on the 14th league title last season, Club America made a shocking start to this season as they lost at home against FC Juarez. However, the club bounced back with a 3-0 win over Puebla before the break. In the 2023 Leagues Cup, Club America were eliminated in the Round of 16. After resuming the Apertura season, the 13-time Liga MX champions have drawn two and won one game. The solitary victory came against Club Necaxa, and the most recent draw was in the last game against Club Leon.
Considering the current form of both clubs, Club America are the strong favorites in this fixture. Derbies can be unpredictable, and Cruz Azul have already pulled off a major upset in the last game. Despite that, Club America will reign supreme over their neighbors.
Previous Meetings
This will be the 170th Clásico Joven featuring the two neighboring rivals. Club America has claimed the bragging rights on 61 occasions, while Cruz Azul have snatched victory in only 44 encounters. The remaining 64 matches of this tightly-contested derby have ended in a stalemate.
Since 2010, the two clubs have met 36 times. Club America have won 13 times, Cruz Azul have emerged victorious on 11 occasions, and 12 games have ended in draws. Club America have a better record, but only slightly, so they will be extremely careful in this match.
When these two sides met in the Clausura season, Uriel Antuna gave Cruz Azul the lead in the 12th minute. Alex Zendejas equalized three minutes before the break. Cruz Azul were reduced to ten men in first-half stoppage time.
Zendejas struck again two minutes into the second half, and veteran Henry Martin sealed the win in the 62nd minute. However, the best derby-day memory for Club America came in the previous Apertura season when they registered their biggest-ever win after thrashing their rivals 7-0.
Cruz Azul Eager to Cause Two Upsets on the Bounce
In the previous match week, Cruz Azul visited the Estadio BBVA to take on five-time champions CF Monterrey. The visitors went to the fortress with a winless streak of five games, out of which they had lost four and drawn one.
The odds were heavily stacked against Cruz Azul, but goals from Diber Cambindo and Moises Vieira gave the hosts a 2-1 defeat. Not only did the visitors nab a win, but they also performed like a top side and had more attempts at goal.
The win has come at exactly the right time for Cruz Azul, as it has given the club something to build on. Club America will be title contenders again this season, but they have been held to draws twice and experienced defeat once this season already.
Superb Signing Will Boost Attacking Prowess
The goalscoring onus for Cruz Azul was solely on Cambindo in the first six games of the season. The Colombian striker managed to score two and assist one in six appearances. However, after the latest development, the 27-year-old will happily share the load with another player.
Cruz Azul have splashed £2 million and signed prolific Queretaro FC striker Angel Sepulveda. The 32-year-old has already scored five goals and pocketed one assist in nine appearances for Queretaro FC this season and will be expected to bring that same form to Cruz Azul.
Perfect Occasion to Nab First Home Win of the Season
After defeating CF Monterrey, Cruz Azul nabbed their first win of the Apertura campaign. It was an impressive accomplishment for the club because they only won two out of their nine away games in the Clausura season.
At home, they won five out of eight games and lost just three. However, this season, the club has played two games at the Estadio Azteca and failed to win both games. In only their third home game of the season, it will be the perfect moment for Cruz Azul to nab a win.
Club America Frustrated With Stalemates
If Cruz Azul do not come out all guns blazing on derby day, they will be hoping for a draw. That would not be a favorable result for Club America. In the previous Apertura season, the club only drew two games in the entire league phase.
However, in the following Clausura season, seven out of 17 of their league phase games ended in a stalemate, which turned out to be extremely frustrating for the 13-time Liga MX champions. This Apertura season, they have already matched their Apertura 2023 draw tally of two games.
In the last game, Club America were up against the CONCACAF Champions League winners, Club Leon. They trailed for less than ten minutes before a Julian Quinones penalty leveled the tie and the scores remained the same till the full-time whistle.
A Streak of Home Games to Start the Season
Club America have played five games in the Apertura season so far. Interestingly, all these games have been played at the Estadio Azteca as the 13-time champions are yet to play a league game on the road this season.
The derby against Cruz Azul will technically be their first away game of the season. Since the two clubs share the stadium, this will be Club America’s sixth straight domestic league game at the Estadio Azteca – a situation they should capitalize on.
Several Big Names Ruled Out for Derby Day
Right-back Kevin Alvarez was shown a second yellow card against Club Leon in the dying stages. The 24-year-old will serve his suspension during the Clásico Joven. Sebastian Caceres is also a big doubt ahead of the match due to a nose injury.
The arrival of Quinones has proved to be a great signing because of two reasons. The first is the striker's form, and the second is the absence of veteran striker Martin. The 30-year-old is still out with a calf injury and may return to the pitch in September.
/fit-in/222x222/betmgm-at-2x-1.png)
/filters:no_upscale()/fit-in/1200x585/1693467353/cruz-azul-vs-club-america-2023-09-02.jpg "Cruz Azul vs Club America 2023 09 02")
/fit-in/222x222/frame-1-1.png)
/betmgm-at-2x-1.png )
/1716812021/nikhil-kalro.jpg "Nikhil Kalro")
/dmca.png "Dmca"){kind=small}
/1670944202/21.png "21"){kind=small}
/1670944628/2022-igb-best-casino-affiliate-gig-media-e1651053747946.png "2022 igb best casino affiliate gig media e1651053747946"){kind=small}
/1670944701/gig-media-power-affiliates-rank-123x40-1.png "Gig media power affiliates rank 123x40 1"){kind=icon}
/1670944773/800-gambler-black-144x40.jpg "800 gambler black 144x40"){kind=small}
/1718715753/gpwa.webp "Gpwa"){kind=small}
