Pachuca hosts Cruz Azul with urgent need for a win as Máquina rides high after romping Juárez

Estadio Hidalgo hosts a matchup that carries a different kind of urgency for each side. Pachuca arrives desperate for points, while Cruz Azul comes in full of confidence and eager to keep climbing. Matchday 13 of the Apertura 2026 pits two teams in almost opposite situations against each other.

The Tuzos still haven't found the rhythm they need, even though their roster boasts the tournament's hottest scorer. Salomón Rondón remains a sure thing up top and leads the individual scoring chart by a wide margin, but that hasn't been enough for Pachuca to turn his goals into results. The team came back from the Gigante de Acero with a 2-1 loss, which leaves them in 14th place in the overall standings, needing not just a win but also some help from other results if they want to start climbing the table.

Cruz Azul, on the other hand, arrives with spirits high. After a tough-to-digest Clásico Joven and a tight, last-minute win over Pumas that exposed some defensive cracks, Joel Huiqui's squad rediscovered their scoring touch in the most emphatic way: a 5-0 rout of FC Juárez at the Banorte. That result restored calm to La Máquina, who now sit fifth in the overall standings with 20 points, four behind the leader and level with Chivas and Querétaro, with their Liguilla ticket all but secured.

How do the two teams arrive at Estadio Hidalgo?

Recent form draws a sharp contrast. Pachuca needs home field advantage to actually matter, since points at home have become essential if they want to stop losing ground in the standings. Cruz Azul, meanwhile, wants to ride the emotional boost from that rout to keep moving up and lock in their direct spot in the next phase once and for all.

That brings up the question looming over the preview: can Rondón carry a Pachuca side that can't seem to pair his goals with victories?

As for the possible lineups, Pachuca would go with Carlos Moreno in goal, a back line of Mauricio Isais, Sergio Barreto, Eduardo Bauermann and Jorge Berlanga, and a midfield and attack featuring Christian Rivera, Alan Bautista, Oussama Idrissi, Rodolfo Pizarro, Javier Vallejo and Rondón himself up front.

Cruz Azul would set up with Andrés Gudiño between the posts, Alan Mozo, Alan Montes, Amaury García and Gonzalo Piovi on defense, Omar Chagoya, Agustín Palavecino, Erick Lira and Charly Rodríguez in midfield, and Nico Ibáñez paired with Andrés Montaño up top.

The match is set for Wednesday, October 21, at 9:10 pm Mexico City time (10:10 pm in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru; 11:10 pm Eastern time; 12:10 am in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay), at Estadio Hidalgo.