Two clubs chasing the Apertura Liga MX title will do battle today in a league match between Pumas UNAM and Club Atlas. The first-division clash scheduled for 1 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City and can be live streamed free via the Univision Deportes mobile app. Additional TV coverage can be found on Univision Deportes.
It's been more than 50 years since Atlas have lifted the Liga MX crown. Three weeks into the 2014 Apertura campaign, and the club is showing every sign of a return to prominence. Seven points through the first three matches sees Atlas in the top three of the Liga MX table. A victory over Pumas would propel them to second. For manager Tomas Boy, there's no better feeling than being on top.
"It's good to be near the top," Boy said (via Medio Tiempo). "It's beautiful to be at the top of the table in general. It's good to get off to a strong start and put a lot of things into place. It shows signs of stability that tend to happen early in the tournament when so many changes are made [in the roster], because really there were many changes."
When asked about today's opponent, he added: "I'm not going to pretend that Pumas are bad. The other day against Toluca, the referee committed a mistake. Pumas plays well on the pitch. The time and temperature [for the match] has always worked in their favor."
Atlas will look to continue their recent string of success in spite of Pumas' home-field advantage.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: The 1v1 prowess of Pumas' Daniel Ludueña will test Atlas' back line this afternoon. The 32-year-old has won 89 percent of his duels, the highest average of any player, and has created a club-best five chances.
UNAM's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Palacios; Rankin, Palacios, Verón, Fuentes; Lagos, Augusto, Romagnoli, Cortes; Ludueña, Britos, Sosa
Atlas' Projected Lineup (4-1-4-1): Vilar; Castillo, Perez, Venegas, Erpen; Medina; Souza, Gonzalez, Millar, Esqueda; Caballero
Note: Credit all statistics to the officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via Squawka).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CF América | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 12 | |||
| 2 | Querétaro | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 3 | Atlas | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||
| 4 | Club de Futbol Monterrey | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 5 | Jaguares | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 | |||
| 6 | Club de Fútbol Pachuca | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Tigres | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 8 | Santos Laguna | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 9 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 9 | Veracruz | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 11 | Toluca | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 12 | Guadalajara | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | |||
| 13 | Puebla | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 4 | |||
| 14 | CD León | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 15 | Pumas UNAM | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 16 | Club Tijuana | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 | |||
| 17 | Monarcas | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 2 | |||
| 18 | Leones Negros | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
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