This round’s game of the week features two teams that are in an upward trajectory. Toluca is coming off their victory over Pumas that placed them at the top of the Liga MX standings. For their part, La Maquina has won 4 games in a row after dropping the first two of this Guardianes 2021 season.

Sambu: The Man of the Moment

Rubens Sambueza played his 400th game in Liga MX this past weekend. Since the 2002 Apertura, only Oswaldo Martinez has played the most games out of any foreign player in the Mexican top flight. Though Sambu has worn many different colors throughout his career, his leadership at Toluca has undoubtedly catapulted them to the top of the charts.

Despite the celebratory moment for Sambueza, Alexis Canelo, many would argue, has carried the team. The Argentine scored a hat-trick vs. Mazatlán, and his 6 goals are the most by any players this Guardianes 2021 season. Canelo’s success and the return of skipper Hernan Cristante have injected life into Los Diablos Rojos, who finished last season in 11th place and were bounced in the wild card round of the playoffs by Tigres.

Interesting the Ride for La Maquina

Cruz Azul’s 2021 Guardianes season has been a tumultuous one, to say the least. Following last year’s disastrous Cruzazuleada vs. Pumas, which many considered to be one of their worst ever, Robert Dante Siboldi called it quits, which paved the way for Juan Reynoso to take over. Just like Siboldi, Reynoso’s team started the campaign on the wrong foot. The team lost its opening match to Santos 1-0 at home and then to Puebla the following week.

Los Cementeros managed to turn their fortunes the third week of the season when they defeated Pachuca on the road and quieted several critics. They followed that performance by convincingly beating Queretaro and then Necaxa the following week to make it 3 in a row. Their 0-2 victory over Tigres this Wednesday has many putting Cruz Azul as a legitimate contender to the title, despite the lurking Cruzazuledas.

Evenly Matched?

Since the 2013 Clausura, these teams are dead even in their head-to-head matches. They each have won six games and scored 20 goals while drawing eight of those matches. Cruz Azul held the minimal edge with five shutout victories during that 20 game span, while Toluca had four. For this match, the money lines see Los Cementeros as the heavy favorite. According to Draft Kings, Cruz Azul is a -125 favorite, but if you place a $100 bet in favor of Toluca, you get a potential payout of $440, of course, that is if they win.

Prediction

After La Maquina’s performance against Tigres, the favorable money line, and the FIFA 21 prediction in their favor, it isn’t elementary to go against them. However, I am going to with 2-2 draw. Both teams are playing exceptionally well, and despite Cruz Azul’s momentum, I don’t see them slowing down Toluca’s firepower.

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