Pumas vs Pachuca - prediction, team news, lineups

Heartbreak successful the Clausura last has fixed Pumas UNAM added information heading into a caller campaign, and Esteban Solari begins his tenure arsenic caput manager successful the astir intriguing of circumstances erstwhile Pachuca, his erstwhile club, sojourn the Estadio Olimpico Universitario successful Mexico City successful some sides’ opening lucifer of the Apertura 2026-27 play connected Sunday morning.

Pachuca get nether their ain caller manager successful Benjamin Mora, who inherits a squad inactive smarting from a Liguilla semi-final exit astatine the hands of Sunday’s hosts, making this opener a fixture with much than conscionable 3 points astatine stake.

Match preview

Pumas caput into the Apertura with unfinished concern aft a Clausura run that promised truthful overmuch earlier yet ending successful defeat. 

Having finished 10th successful the Apertura, they bounced backmost to apical the Clausura regular play array - finishing level connected 36 points with Guadalajara but edging apical spot connected extremity difference, with Pumas registering a tally of positive 17 compared to Guadalajara’s 16.

That level gave them genuine content heading into the playoffs, but their liguilla tally ended successful the final, wherever Cruz Azul defeated them 2-1 connected aggregate - Rodolfo Rotondi scoring a melodramatic stoppage-time victor successful the 2nd limb to assertion the Clausura 2026 rubric and contradict Pumas the silverware their regular play signifier deserved.

That last decision was followed by the departure of caput manager Efrain Juarez astatine the extremity of the season, and the nine person turned to Esteban Solari to pb the rebuild.

Solari arrives astatine Pumas having departed Pachuca astatine the extremity of the Clausura, meaning Sunday’s opener pits the caller Pumas caput manager straight against his erstwhile nine successful the precise archetypal lucifer of his tenure.

Form heading into the caller play has not been encouraging for Pumas - their astir caller competitory outing ended successful a 2-1 decision to Cruz Azul, and a pre-season 1-0 nonaccomplishment to America de Cali means the hosts person won conscionable erstwhile successful their past 5 fixtures crossed each competitions,  a tally that includes 1 gully and 3 defeats.

Pachuca, meanwhile, had a mixed run crossed the 2 tournaments past season. They finished ninth successful the Apertura earlier improving considerably successful the Clausura, ending 4th successful the regular play array and reaching the semi-finals of the playoffs - wherever they were eliminated by Pumas, with the Mexico City broadside winning arsenic the higher-seeded club.

Mora takes complaint of a Pachuca squad that has shown they tin vie astatine the apical extremity of the division, and their wide grounds crossed their past 5 outings - 3 wins and 2 defeats, 4 goals scored and 3 conceded.

Significantly, some of those defeats successful that five-match tally came against Pumas - erstwhile during the regular play and erstwhile successful the playoff semi-final - meaning Sunday’s lucifer carries an constituent of revenge for Mora’s broadside arsenic good arsenic further information for the hosts.

Pachuca person besides strengthened their squad up of the caller campaign, completing the signing of Rodolfo Pizarro from FC Juarez, and Mora volition beryllium anxious to deed the crushed moving successful a play wherever the anticipation is to propulsion deeper than past season.

The head-to-head grounds betwixt these 2 clubs successful their past 5 encounters has been tightly contested, with Pumas claiming 2 wins to Pachuca’s three.

Team News

Pumas caput into the caller play with respective notable absentees. Jose Juan Macias remains sidelined with the anterior cruciate ligament wounded helium sustained successful November past twelvemonth and volition play nary portion successful the aboriginal weeks of the Apertura.

Adalberto Carrasquilla is besides unavailable for Sunday’s opener aft sustaining a musculus wounded during the Clausura final. The Panama planetary was named successful his country’s World Cup squad contempt the wounded but was incapable to diagnostic successful the radical stage, and helium has since returned to isolated grooming with Pumas - with a instrumentality to afloat fittingness targeted for astir lucifer time 3 against Bravos de Juarez.

The departure of Jordan Carrillo leaves a spread connected the near flank that Solari is yet to fill, though the nine person made 2 caller signings up of the Apertura successful Sebastian Cordova from Deportivo Toluca and Cristian Calderon from Necaxa.

Alan Medina has recovered from the near ankle fracture helium suffered successful April, though doubtful for Sunday’s opener.

For Pachuca, Alan Mozo is simply a uncertainty for Sunday aft sustaining a non-displaced spiral fracture successful his near fibula alongside a second-degree ankle sprain, portion Andres Micolta is besides uncertain, having been recovering from a fractured kneecap sustained successful January.

Luis Quinones, Santiago Homenchenko, Pedro Pedraza and Enner Valencia person each departed the nine up of the caller campaign.

Rodolfo Pizarro has completed his determination from FC Juarez and could diagnostic for Pachuca, adding originative prime to a midfield that Mora volition beryllium looking to stamp his individuality connected from the opening day.

Pumas imaginable starting lineup:

Navas; Bennevendo, Azuaje, Leone, Angulo; Lopez, Vite, Trigos, Cordova; Juninho, Morales

Pachuca imaginable starting lineup:

Moreno; Bautista, Barreto, Bauermann, Sanchez; Rivera, Montiel; Idrissi, Dominguez, Kenedy; Rondon

We say: Pumas 1-1 Pachuca

Solari’s debut arsenic Pumas caput manager against his erstwhile nine carries tremendous affectional weight, but neither broadside arrives successful the benignant of signifier that suggests a ascendant opening-day performance.

The 2 clubs cognize each different well, and with some managers inactive successful the aboriginal stages of implementing their ideas, a competitory and tightly contested gully looks the astir apt result arsenic the Apertura gets underway astatine the Estadio Olimpico Universitario.

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