Match Preview: Chivas vs FC Juarez

It’s almost a must win game for Chivas as they return home to face FC Juarez. Chivas have had another disappointing start to their season and their fans will be clamoring for a victory, which would be their first of the season. Either that, or the cries of crisis will start surrounding the team. Meanwhile FC Juarez will hope to take advantage of this as their season hasn’t started in the best way either. However, they will be a very dangerous team for a desperate Chivas.

Chivas’ season hasn’t started in the best way. After a season in which they also had a bad start but ended up getting all the way to the semifinals, Chivas’ fans were hopeful of their team although they complained that Chivas didn’t get any reinforcements besides the return of several players from loans like Cesar Huerta and Alejandro Mayorga. The season started with an away tie against Puebla in which the game was very even although Chivas missed a great opportunity when Jesus Molina missed a penalty kick. They went home and tied again, this time against the tougher Toluca. However, things turned downhill when they travelled away to struggling Atletico San Luis and got dominated en route to a 3-1 loss. Not only did Chivas lose badly against a team who had lost their first two matches, but their performances were in sharp decline with every successive game. Chivas continue with their struggles of generating opportunities, something they suffered with under ex-coach Luis Fernando Tena and Victor Manuel Vucetich. Now they are ready to face an FC Juarez team coached by Tena, who will want some revenge, although Juarez has struggled even more on offense, with just one goal scored so far in the season. Yet they will be a tough matchup against a pressured Chivas team.

FC Juarez barely missed out last season on getting to the repechaje. It was still too much for the team owners and they decided to part ways with Coach Gabriel Caballero. Luis Fernando Tena took the job but so far they have struggled. Like Chivas, they tied their first 2 matches, although both were disappointments. In their first match, they tied away to Pachuca 1-1 but it was a big setback as Pachuca stole the win with the tying goal coming in the 92th minute. Then they would go home and end with a scoreless tie against Tijuana in a very poor match from both sides. In a strange way, they had their best performance in their only loss, a 2-0 away loss to America in a game where it looked like they were hampered by a bad referee decision. Still, they haven’t played well and will have to improve against a Chivas team that looks to go out for blood.

Chivas will try to go all out for the much needed victory. Reports mention that it will probably be the first start for their top striker Jose Juan Macias, who missed the first two matches because of getting COVID-19. He returned at halftime against San Luis and scored Chivas’ only goal in that match. Still, if Chivas don’t start to generate plays and he doesn’t get balls in the area, it won’t be much help for them. Juarez should be a tough task, but they have offensive problems of their own, although if Marco Fabian and Dario Lezcano click, it could be dangerous for Chivas.