Sepúlveda wants Chivas to settle the score after América draw and Querétaro loss ahead of Clásico Tapatío

Pride stings when it slips away twice in a row. That is exactly what happened to Chivas over the last two matchdays of the Apertura 2026: first they let a 0-2 lead against América get away and ended up drawing, then they fell to Querétaro. Two blows that, according to Ángel Sepúlveda, still sting inside the Chivas locker room. And the perfect date to make up for it is already on the calendar: the Clásico Tapatío against Atlas, for matchday 11, at the Estadio Jalisco.

For "Cuate," that stage is no ordinary game. It's a chance to remind the whole city what Guadalajara is made of.

Everyone knows the rivalry is there. We earn respect, we want to do it the right way, and we want to show who Guadalajara is in its own city, in the Jalisco, and we want to win.Ángel Sepúlveda

The forward doesn't hide that the group took what happened over the last few weeks personally. Going up two goals and ending up splitting points with América isn't something you forget quickly, especially when the loss to Querétaro followed right after. Sepúlveda sums it up with a line that captures the team's mood well: sometimes it feels like winning is easy, until reality reminds you it isn't.

I think in the end we worry about Guadalajara, we know the magnitude it carries, and everyone who faces Chivas comes in motivated, they always want to beat us, and we want to go out there and win, to represent Chivas and make sure the badge feels big.Ángel Sepúlveda

And he closed with a thought that sums up where the team stands: "Sometimes we feel like winning games is simple, but it isn't. Our pride took a hit with the draw and the loss, we always want to win. We're working with humility and focused on getting the win, and we're going to do everything we can to make that happen."

Full backing for Rangel and Campillo

While Chivas waits for the players who were away with their national teams to return and start preparing for next Saturday's Clásico Tapatío at the Jalisco, Sepúlveda didn't want to let the moment pass without sending a message to two teammates who had a rough time with Mexico during the FIFA window. Raúl Rangel and Diego Campillo made costly mistakes in the 3-0 loss to the United States, and the experienced forward didn't hesitate to back them up.

In the end these things are part of soccer, we're human beings, and they know the whole group has their back. We're here to support them, and they're players with big mentalities, they're going to keep proving why they belong there.Ángel Sepúlveda

That's how Chivas arrives at one of those games that needs no extra motivation: with the need to win, with the weight of two recent setbacks on their shoulders, and with one fixed idea, that the Jalisco feels, even if just for one night, that the red and white badge is still big in its own city.