Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca: Tigres Uanl Won Their Opening Game of the Clausura Phase

• Tigres UANL won their opening game of the Clausura phase against Santos Laguna in the first round of fixtures 

• CF Pachuca walloped Puebla FC 5-1 in their opening Clausura fixture last week

• CF Pachuca thrashed Toluca 8-2 on aggregate in the Apertura playoff final 2022 to lift the title

Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca Odds

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Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca Pick

Pick: CF Pachuca to win (+210)

Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca Predictions

Despite playing a closely-contested quarterfinal in the Apertura playoffs, this time around the advantage and the momentum lies with CF Pachuca. After losing the first leg of the quarterfinal, CF Pachuca won all their remaining six games with ease.

In those six games, CF Pachuca scored a staggering 21 goals, averaging 3.5 goals per match, and that too in the penultimate stages of the playoffs against the strongest sides. In these six games, there were three occasions on which the Apertura champions scored five goals in a single match.

Tigres UANL beat Santos Laguna 3-0 in the last match after receiving an advantage when Santos were reduced to ten men, after which Tigres UANL scored two more goals. The hosts will be a tough nut to crack, but CF Pachuca’s rampaging momentum will probably earn them a win.

Previous Meetings

Tigres UANL and CF Pachuca met in the Apertura quarterfinals in 2022. At home, Tigres UANL shocked Los Tuzos with a 1-0 win after Andre-Pierre Gignac scored from the spot in the 88th minute of the game.

In the second leg, CF Pachuca bounced back and beat Los Tigres 2-1 and advanced to the semi-finals. Victor Guzman put the hosts in front after 19 minutes before Guido Pizarro equalized and handed the advantage back to Tigres UANL in the 64th minute.

Only four minutes after the leveler, Javier Lopez scored the winner just a minute after coming on as a substitute, tipping the scales back in favor of CF Pachuca and eventually handing them a ticket to the semis. 

Tigres UANL Have Been Shy in Front of Goal  

The home and away form of Tigres UANL during the Apertura league stage was almost the same. They picked up 16 points from eight games at home and picked up 14 points from nine games on the road. They scored 12 goals at home and matched the tally for away games.

In total, including the playoffs, Tigres UANL scored 28 goals in 19 matches, averaging just 1.4 goals per match. However, their defense has been astute and played a major role in pushing the club into the playoffs of the Apertura phase.

Tigres UANL had the best goals conceded per match average of 0.8 goals. Their next opponents, CF Pachuca, were just behind them with a concession average of 0.9 goals. Stellar defending saw Tigres UANL keep ten clean sheets in the Apertura league stage.

22 out of the 28 goals came from open play, and they were awarded just one penalty during the Apertura phase. Three goals were scored via a set piece, while the remaining two goals came from well-executed free kicks.

Tigres Relying on Gignac and Cordova

In the first match of the Clausura season, Andre-Pierre Gignac nabbed a goal and an assist to get his campaign off to a perfect start. Tigres UANL have relied heavily on the French striker so far. In the Apertura phase, Gignac scored 11 goals and assisted three.

Francisco Cordova has also been an influential figure in the Tigres UANL midfield. In the Apertura phase, the Mexican midfielder had eight goal contributions that included four goals and four assists.

The duo has notched impressive numbers and contributed with goals or assists for 22 out of 28 goals scored by Tigres UANL. Gignac and Cordova have played a part in 79% of the goals scored by the club.

Fulgencio Will Be out With an Injury  

An untimely knee injury has put Raymundo Fulgencio on the sidelines till the end of this month. The 22-year-old was a familiar face in the starting eleven during the Apertura phase, as he contributed with three assists and a solitary goal.

In the last match against Santos Laguna, Javier Aquino was deployed down the left flank. The Mexican winger is expected to start against CF Pachuca and other games that follow until Fulgencio is fit to feature on the left flank again.

Pachuca Eye the Double  

After clinching the Apertura 2022 title, CF Pachuca will shift their attention to the Clausura 2023 crown. It will be anything but an easy task, but it can certainly be accomplished. Last season, Atlas FC became “bicampeones” after winning the Apertura 2021 and Clausura 2022.

CF Pachuca finished fourth in the Apertura league stage, six points behind Club America. Interestingly, CF Pachuca’s performance during the league stage was extremely different from their performance in the playoffs.

Every team had to step up their game in the playoffs, but none did it better than CF Pachuca. In the league stage, the side scored 28 goals in 17 games, averaging 1.6 goals per match. However, in the playoffs, they scored 16 goals in 6 games, averaging 2.6 goals per match.

In the Clausura phase, CF Pachuca are already off to a flier. They scored five goals past a hapless Puebla FC side in the opener. During the match, CF Pachuca attempted a total of 22 shots, while Puebla were restricted to eight.

Ibanez in Scintillating Form  

Striker Nicolas Ibanez has been the driving force behind CF Pachuca’s Apertura 2022 title. The Argentinian forward had a staggering goal tally of 16 goals at the end of the Apertura phase. The 28-year-old has carried his form into the Clausura phase as well.

In the last match against Puebla FC, Ibanez bagged a brace. The striker could easily have had a hat-trick, but he missed from the spot in first-half stoppage time. Despite the let-off, Puebla endured a barrage and lost 5-1.

Aviles Hurtado was decent when flanking Ibanez during the Apertura phase. The 35-year-old winger contributed to eight CF Pachuca goals by scoring four and assisting the rest. The Colombian started from the bench in the previous match and came on to provide an assist.

Ibarra Injury

CF Pachuca will be without the services of winger Romario Ibarra, who has been ruled out due till the end of next month with a knee cap injury. The Ecuadorian has played a pivotal role on the flanks for CF Pachuca.

Ibarra scored two goals in the Apertura 2022 playoff final against Toluca. CF Pachuca went on to win the game 5-1 on hostile territory. The winger did not contribute to any goals in the second leg as his side won comfortably.

The 28-year-old also traveled to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup 2022 with Ecuador. He featured in the opening game of the tournament, where Ecuador beat Qatar 2-0. Ibarra came on as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands and did not feature after that.

How to watch Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca

• Teams: Tigres UANL vs CF Pachuca

• Location: Estadio Universitario de Nuevo Leon

• Time: Sunday, January 15 at 8:05 pm ET

• How to Watch: Univision networks TUDN and UniMas, ESPN Deportes, Telemundo and Fox Deportes