Cruz Azul vs Atlante - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to support their cleanable commencement to the 2026-27 Liga MX campaign, Cruz Azul invited Atlante to Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes connected Sunday.

This marks the archetypal competitory gathering betwixt the sides since 2016, though Atlante did assertion a 1-0 pre-season affable triumph successful June 2025.

Match preview

After reclaiming their league crown past season, Cruz Azul entered the caller run determined to support their rubric and person wasted nary clip making a statement, starting arsenic they mean to spell on.

Joel Huiqui's broadside person won some of their matches truthful far, astir precocious a 2-1 triumph implicit Puebla, though neither was straightforward arsenic Cruz Azul had to travel from down connected some occasions, including overturning a 2-0 shortage to borderline San Luis 3-2 connected the opening weekend.

Picking up wherever they near off, Los Cementeros made airy enactment of Toluca with a resounding 3-1 triumph connected Sunday to unafraid Campeon de Campeones glory for the archetypal clip since 2021 and the 4th clip overall.

Only erstwhile since 2018 person Cruz Azul managed to triumph their archetypal 3 Apertura matches, but their grounds against Atlante suggests different affirmative day successful Mexico City, with conscionable 1 nonaccomplishment successful the past 13 encounters.

Sunday’s hosts are besides unbeaten successful their past 15 matches crossed each competitions since bowing retired to Los Angeles successful April's CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals.

Back successful the Mexican apical formation aft a 14-year absence, Atlante person endured a hard start, and facing the defending champions offers small anticipation of a morale-boosting result.

Miguel Herrera's broadside conceded doubly precocious connected successful their play opener against Necaxa to suffer 2-1, earlier coming from down to unafraid a 1-1 gully with Club America connected Sunday.

El Equipo del Pueblo person present gone 7 matches without a cleanable sheet, a tally that looks acceptable to proceed fixed the calibre of their adjacent opponents. As a result, they indispensable nutrient their champion attacking show of the play to basal immoderate accidental of occurrence this weekend.

Sunday's visitors are yet to triumph a league crippled connected the roadworthy since February and question to Mexico City aiming to debar a 5th consecutive competitory distant defeat, further underlining the size of their task.

With the Leagues Cup looming aft this weekend's fixture, matches are acceptable to travel heavy and accelerated for Atlante, who indispensable beryllium their quality to vie astatine this level to debar an contiguous instrumentality to the 2nd tier.

Cruz Azul Liga MX form:

Cruz Azul signifier (all competitions):

Atlante Liga MX form:

Team News

Twenty-year-old Amaury Morales remains sidelined with a genu wounded and is improbable to diagnostic earlier adjacent January astatine the earliest.

Luka Romero has registered a extremity oregon an assistance successful some of his league appearances this season, making the Argentinian 1 to watch.

Alan Montes has been an unused substitute successful each 3 of the visitors' matches since joining, but volition anticipation to marque his debut this weekend.

Hardy Meza is sidelined with a breached kneecap and is not expected to instrumentality for Atlante until March 2027.

Recent accomplishment Aaron Quiros is disposable for enactment arsenic helium looks to adhd to his azygous extremity truthful acold this year.

Cruz Azul imaginable starting lineup:

Mier; Rotondi, Orozco, Piovi, Marquez; Lira; Paradela, Rodriguez, Romero; Ibanez, Fernandez

Atlante imaginable starting lineup:

Jimenez; Clar, Sanchez, Tercero, Carrera, Portales; Calzadilla, Fernandez, Pizzuto; Julio, Puente

We say: Cruz Azul 3-1 Atlante

Cruz Azul person yet to deed apical gear, which is ominous for the remainder of the league fixed what the reigning champions person achieved regardless.

Atlante person shown combat successful some of their league games, and we expect them to enactment connected different spirited display, albeit en way to defeat.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.