Puebla vs. Club America: 2016 Liga MX Apertura Preview

Over the course of its last three games, consistency has lacked for Club America. Since Oribe Peralta joined the Olympic squad for his brief stint in Rio, America has lost by a 3-0 blowout, pulled out a 4-2 comeback win, and tied 1-1 against Morelia. Aside from its lone win during the stretch, America’s offense has gone cold. Before taking on its arch rival, Chivas, America must first visit Puebla for a Sunday afternoon game at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc.

Facing Morelia, America controlled the tempo for the majority of the game, but gassed out nearing the end to open an opportunity for Morelia to score on a header. The score against Morelia doesn’t reflect the impressive maneuvering Silvio Romero and especially Darwin Quintero had against Morelia’s defense. Romero, Quintero and the rest of the team, however, couldn’t put the ball past the net other than Bruno Valdez’s header of a corner. Carlos Rodriguez played a part in spoiling America’s possible victory by besting Quintero in a one-on-one situations.

Still, America looks like the favorite versus Puebla, a team with only one win so far. In its last game, an own goal made the difference in a 3-2 defeat to Atlas. Adding to America’s positive outlook, Puebla has a negative goal differential as it has allowed eight and scored seven. To put simply, Puebla's season has started out shaky.

Heading into its game versus Puebla, America’s roster has begun to fill up with key players returning to the lineup. Unlike its last game versus Morelia, America has Erik Pimentel available in its roster as he served a one game suspension. Rejoining America, Michael Arroyo registered minutes versus Morelia for the first time this season. Having both Pimentel and Arroyo as options cracks open movement both on defense and offense, with Arroyo able to deal from set-pieces and Pimentel adding backup for the defense. If America’s wants to find a spark before facing Chivas, playing against an uneven team like Puebla could rejuvenate the team’s confidence.

Last Meeting

America 0-0 Puebla - September 1, 2016 - Liga MX