Santos Laguna vs Tigres Prediction, Betting Odds & Picks

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• When looking at both rosters, it’s dubious to believe that Santos can keep pace for the full 90 minutes
• Tigres already have the benefit of an in-form and dangerous striker duo
• Who will step up for Santos in the attack?

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Santos Laguna vs Tigres Predictions and Picks

Santos will take this match into the final minutes, and although it’s tempting to look at the potential for a tie through those efforts, Tigres should walk away with a win here.

Under the management of veteran head coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti, Tigres seem to have wasted no time in the beginning of the season after clinching a simple 2-0 victory over last season’s champions, Leon.

With the Club World Cup soon approaching in early February — which Tigres qualified for — Ferretti will want to make sure that his team will be firing on all cylinders before the start of the international competition. That means a necessity for continued success in the near future, and more than likely, a win against a Santos roster that lacks the talent and experience that Tigres currently have.

Pick:

Tigres for the win (+130)

How to Watch Santos Laguna vs Tigres

Do Santos have much of a chance this Sunday against Tigres?

In their defense, they did stifle Cruz Azul through a 1-0 win over the Liga MX giants last week. Through an approach that condensed their starting XI into a highly-organized 4-4-2 formation, Santos were efficient with their chances on net while also shutting down most of what Cruz Azul threw back at them in response.

It was impressive to watch, but regardless of their narrow victory, Tigres will prove to provide a much more difficult task at hand. As mentioned earlier, Santos will expect to fight throughout the 90 minutes and give Tigres plenty of headaches, but in the end, it’ll be Ferretti and his men who should escape with three points.

Here’s why:

Santos Don’t Have The Experience Or Talent To Keep Up

Santos are worthy of praise for their tendency to promote and develop young talent in Mexico. They are a modern and progressive team that not only help cultivate the next stars in Liga MX, but also provide them with minutes.

But it all comes at a cost. As commendable as their actions and gameplans are, they remain several steps behind a heavy hitter like Tigres that throw money at their roster issues.

In a near opposite structure, Tigres tend to aim for immediate success through seasoned players that tend to be in their early 30s. With the amount they spend on transfers and salaries, these stars are also some of the very best in their respective positions as well.

Santos will make things interesting, but all signs point to Tigres coming out on top.

Tigres’ New Attacking Partnership Is Already Paying Dividends

The current Concacaf Champions League winners became even stronger over the winter when it was announced that Pumas striker Carlos Gonzalez had joined the club. With Gonzalez now in the picture working alongside France’s Andre-Pierre Gignac, there is no doubt that the partnership between the two is the most lethal that Liga MX has to offer.

And it hasn’t taken long for the two to find some chemistry either.

In their first game together, both Gignac and Gonzalez scored for Tigres last week in their 2-0 victory over Leon. Most importantly, both also looked comfortable as they occupied different yet adjacent areas in the final third.

As for this weekend, expect at least one of the two to find the back of the net.

There Are Doubts That Linger Over Santos’ Goalscoring

And speaking of scoring, who will take charge for Santos? In the recent 1-0 result against Cruz Azul, it took a long-range golazo from Diego Valdes for Santos to earn their lone goal of the game.

The problem with Santos’ frontline is that they have a mixture of promising young players and fairly average options that are older. There’s no easy answer as to which player or players should start up top, and when looking at the younger names, there’s no denying that they need more time to evolve their talents before becoming threatening figures.

And while Santos remains on that path towards solving their goalscoring solution, Tigres will likely be finding the back of the net through their long list of tried and true marquee players.