Liga Returns: Top Picks For Liga MX Season Openers

The Liga MX started on July 23, giving us all another soccer tournament to bet on. One good thing about this league is that it is starting a little after other sports. It gives us an idea of what to expect - teams have been taking time to get adjusted to competitive play, and even the best players look rusty. Eight of these MX clubs did play a tournament in Mexico, so they might have gotten over their adjustment phase. This is a good place to profit because no oddsmaker will take such intricacies into account. But as a bettor, you should know how to pick it out.

Atlas FC vs. Club Tijuana de Caliente

Tijuana was not a part of the eight clubs that already played a Mexican tournament. This will be their first match since March 13, a good 4.5 months ago. Their issues are compounded by large squad changes - with a ton of new players brought in, and a new manager leading them. There are two players who have never played in the leagues before, which shouldn’t be a big problem given the other players are all well-experienced. Their team is uniquely offensive talent-wise. Guede loves to play an attacking game, rather than depending on the defense. But this may not translate immediately, given that the team is brand new and so is the manager. 

How Does Atlas compare

Atlas has already seen some playing time, which means that they will be more well-oiled than Tijuana. But the question that remains is whether that is sufficient. They have played three competitive games up until now after the lockdown, and given the circumstances that Tijuana is in, Atlas is the best bet to win the match. 

A great bet to take for this match would be the total. Betting under would be the better bet too. Atlas has been playing for a bit, but their gameplay hasn’t been one to write home about. Lorenzo Reyes has been out since the beginning of the year, which is where their troubles started. Martinez also left them for Puebla, so their team is now weakened. Tijuana is actually the better team on paper. But their squad changes and the new manager leaves too much to the unknown. Atlas will score a low number of goals but will manage to win the game. 

Club Santos Laguna vs. Cruz Azul

For Santos Laguna, this will be their first match after mid-March. They’re definitely going to battle some sluggishness and general issues after the restart. They have never been an offense-first team, and this time it could be worse than ever. They were heavily reliant on Brian Lozano for their offense, and one could argue that he was what the offense was built around.  But he broke his leg and had to undergo surgery for it. He is out for the foreseeable future, with no definite return date set as of now. 

His speed was one of his key attributes. He played his position very well and also covered forward. He also had the skill to convert shots and played craftily to score goals. His previous season stats show how much the team relied on him - he had scored 12 goals and assisted on seven more, all in 27 games. The team and manager seem to be well aware of their problem, so they have been considering various replacements for him. 

In the running is Gael Sandoval, who was transferred in from Chivas. He is much newer to the pros and has a career-wide four goals and fifteen assists to his name. Julio Furch will have to step up the game this time around, given how the team was almost built around one player who is not in playing condition currently. This will definitely prove to be a challenge for Furch because he has only been able to play consistently since the 2017 - 2018 season. 

How will Cruz Azul do

Cruz Azul played five matches since the lockdown. They’re certainly not running the risk of being rusty or out of form. They are much better suited to start this tournament. Azul has the advantage of its main player being in top form, unlike Santos. Jonathan Rodriguez has a great number of goals and has performed consistently to show that he is dependable, and his team will benefit from his performance. He plays a great game along with the rest of the offense, and their coordination is beautiful to watch on the field. He plays well with or without his great set of players around him. You can bet on Azul to win this match.