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The month of April was a tough month for Chivas, aside from the Copa MX Championship run, the team only managed to win one league game out of a six. The dense schedule of April also brought on lots of injuries to go along with the poor league results. Now, heading into the Liguilla, the team has been floundering and looks a lot different than they did a few weeks back. While a spot in the Liguilla has already been clinched, Chivas will visit Aguascalientes to play Necaxa Saturday night and the result of the match will have plenty of implications for both teams.
For Chivas, a win and mixture of other results could catapult them as high up as the number 1 seed heading into the Liguilla. A loss or draw and the team could fall down to the seventh spot in the table, a result which surely would be disastrous. The team has not been good away from home; in fact they have only been able to win two games while playing as the visiting team all season, while only losing once at home.
The team enters the final week of the season needing a victory more than ever. It’s unfortunate that there have been injuries, but players like Alan Pulido, Orbelin Pineda and Eduardo “Chofis” Lopez need to step up. Chivas have not had an “in play” goal since April 8th. In fact, the last two goals the team has scored have been on set plays and scored by a center back. If Chivas is to make this championship run that everyone is expecting, those three players will need to put the team on their shoulders, starting Saturday night in Aguascalientes.
For Nexaca, the possibility of making the Liguilla is not out of the question. While it is a longshot that the team could make it, a victory over Chivas and a mixture of results in their favor could put them in the eighth and final Liguilla spot. The team enters Saturday night in a bit of a streak, having won their last three games. Despite being a team that has played better away from home, Los Rayos will definitely be motivated to get a victory over the wounded goats.
With both teams needing a victory Saturday night, expect a highly contested match. Let’s see if Almeyda can will his wounded herd to a victory heading into the liguilla or Los Rayos can pull off the victory and send Chivas into a bigger downward spiral.
Date: Saturday, May 6
Time: 7:00 PM Pacific, 8:00 PM Central, 10:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Estadio Victoria, Aguascalientes, Mexico
Television: ESPN Deportes (US-Spanish), Galavision (US-Spanish), TDN (Mexico), Gala TV(Mexico)
Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Facebook Live