Pumas UNAM host Necaxa in clash of two teams in need at Olímpico Universitario

Estadio Olímpico Universitario hosts a clash of two teams with pressing needs in Liga MX, as Pumas UNAM welcome Necaxa. Both sides arrive with modest records in the standings, but the matchup has all the makings of an entertaining watch: combined, they project more than three expected goals, and neither club has managed to keep a clean sheet with any regularity this season.

Current Form

Pumas UNAM sit seventh with 7 points, the product of two wins, one draw and one loss in four matches played, with 7 goals scored and 5 conceded. Over their last five outings, though, the university side have managed just one win, two draws and two losses, a stretch that contrasts with their promising start to the season. Juninho leads the team with 3 goals, and Pumas tend to strike early, with their most productive stretch coming between the 16th and 30th minutes.

Necaxa, meanwhile, sit 12th with 6 points, the result of two wins and two losses in four games, with 6 goals scored and 7 allowed. Their current situation is more worrying: over the last five matches they've won just once and lost four, and they haven't posted a single clean sheet all tournament. Julián Carranza is their top offensive threat with 3 goals, and the Hidrocálido side tend to score late, in the closing stretch of the second half between the 76th and 90th minutes. The gap between the two clubs in the standings is just one point, underscoring how tight things are for both right now.

Head to Head

The two sides have met 8 times, with an even balance: 3 wins for Pumas, 3 for Necaxa and 2 draws. Interestingly, when it comes to goals, the visitor has been more effective: Necaxa have scored 10 in that span compared to 8 for Pumas.

Likely Lineups

For Pumas, the projected starting eleven, backed by high confidence based on their recent matches, would have Keylor Navas in goal, a back line with Nathan Silva and Rubén Duarte, and a crowded midfield featuring Víctor Arteaga, Rodrigo López, Uriel Antuna, Pedro Vite, Álvaro Angulo and Adalberto Carrasquilla, with Juninho and Robert Morales leading the attack.

For Necaxa, the confidence in the projected lineup is lower, pointing to greater uncertainty over the starting eleven. Luis Jiménez would guard the net, with a back line made up of Agustín Oliveros, Raúl Martínez, Alexis Peña and Francisco Méndez, joined in midfield by Danny Leyva, Lorenzo Faravelli and Carlos Vargas, while Javier Ruiz, Juan Torres and Julián Carranza would form the attack up top.

Odds

According to this in-house estimate, which should in no way be taken as a betting line, Pumas are the clear favorites to claim all three points at home, though a draw and an away win combined add up to 45%, meaning the outcome is far from settled. Expected goals also point to an attacking script: 1.96 for the home side and 1.16 for the visitors, figures that are internal projections rather than official data. The trends back up that forecast too: an 88% chance of more than 2.5 goals and a 50% chance both teams find the net.

With Pumas looking to rediscover the sharpness of their early-season form and Necaxa desperate to snap a rough run of results, Olímpico Universitario is shaping up for an open game, with scoring chances likely at both ends right up until the final whistle.