Week four sees some interesting matchups this weekend with six games being played on Saturday in Liga MX action.

Friday

Santos look to make it three straight

After an opening round defeat, Santos have bounced back with two consecutive wins. Now they face Queretaro, who are also coming off a win. This match offers an interesting battle between the two to see what kind of teams they can become. A win or draw for Santos means they keep momentum building and can be a legit threat to make the Liguilla. This match will really show what kind of team Queretaro is. They struggled out of the gates the first few matches and finally got off the starting blocks with a win last week. The only problem is that the win was against Dorados, who have been terrible all year. This match will show whether they just beat up on a weak team or if they have something going further down the season.

Veracruz and Tijuana look for consistency

The Friday night cap sees two teams who’ve struggled to make it click yet with Veracruz and Tijuana doing battle. Neither team has looked entirely convincing or consistent. At times Veracruz has seemed like the aggressive and functioning attack that made it to the Liguilla last year. However, they’re have also been points where they've seemed a step offm and for that reason they still are looking for their first win. This game could very well have draw written all over it with both teams desperate to give their season some consistency.

Saturday

Can Cruz Azul get their first win?

After three games, Cruz Azul have yet to get a win. Pressure will begin to mount on Coach Tomas Boy if he fails to win again at home. The mentality of both coaches, Boy and Ricardo LaVolpe of Chiapas, gives this match the potential to be easy on the eye. Both love the attacking style of play and both teams will be battling to make sure they control the battle and tempo. While Cruz Azul have played well at times, Chiapas seems to play as a unit at a more consistent level. A win for the Jaguars would put them right in the hunt for a Liguilla spot a quarter of the way through the season. At this point, Chiapas has a great chance to leave Mexico City with all three points.

Relegation rivals meet

In one of the marquee matchups, Morelia host Chivas in a relegation battle. With these two separated by just three points in the relegation table and one in the league table, this is a big time game. Neither team has been able to gain anything more than a point in any of their matches. Chivas have let leads slip in all three of their matches so far this season, while Morelia have showed great grit in battling and coming back in a few of their matches. If Morelia can get a lead, they have the ability to make the game ugly and leave the match with their first win. At the end of the day, Morelia is playing at home--they must win at home.

Felines meet up north

In one of the best matchups of the weekend, Leon take their undefeated season to El Vocan to face the defending champions Tigres. This game is really everything you hope to see in Mexican soccer, and is a rematch of a first round matchup of the Liguilla as well. Leon have been hot from the start of the season and are playing with an attacking flair that reminds people of the Leon that won back-to-back titles. Tigres have yet to find their stride, much like the way they started last season. This is a big time matchup for them to put them right in the thick of the Liga MX peaking order. It would also send a message to the rest of the league if they were to give Leon their first defeat of the season. While Leon have been off to a hot start, this game is just the match Tigres need to remind everyone that Liga MX runs through them.

Monterrey face their toughest task

Just like Leon, Monterrey take their perfect season to a hostile environment as they go into Hidalgo to face Pachuca in a battle of two of the top three teams in the league. Pachuca have a great opportunity at home to give Monterrey their first dent. Luckily for all the people attending the match and watching at home, Pachuca only know how to play one way: go as hard as possible on the attack. This will be the best test so far for Pachuca’s defense, who have looked much improved from seasons past. Monterrey are smart and talented enough to handle the pressure Pachuca could throw at them, and will look to hit on the counter attack. Look for Pachuca to go for the win, while Monterrey will be happy to leave with a draw.

Who will get back on track?

Two teams desperate to get back to winning ways face off Saturday night when Atlas host Pumas. While this matchup isn’t as tantalizing as the two before it on Saturday, it’s a battle of two teams who will be looking for three points in the hope of getting back into the mix of things of Liga MX. Atlas have yet to win at home this season, and they will be desperate to give their home fans something to celebrate. Pumas have yet to find the rhythm that they had last year, and a defeat could show that they are more like the one from two seasons ago, and not the one that was in the finals last season.

America with a perfect chance to bounce back

After being ran out their own stadium last week in a 4-1 defeat to Pachuca, America travel to Dorados with a chance to get back on track. Dorados have been dreadful this season, and have yet to find the back of the net once. Every loss digs them deeper and deeper into the relegation hole, and closer and closer back to the second division. Little suggests that facing the high profile America will bring out the best of Dorados. If they were to get any result, it could be the last straw for the higher ups of America with coach Nacho Ambriz. Little says that will be the case, so look for America to run wild on Dorados.

Sunday

Toluca and Puebla look to break away

The only match on Sunday has Toluca facing Puebla in a game of two teams who find themselves tied in the league table on four points. Puebla have been a solid surprise after a tough opening round of fixtures, and showed last week that they’re able to go into tough places and get results when they beat Pumas. Toluca look to bounce back from what they will see as a letdown after drawing with Morelia last week. Two bad matches in a row isn’t like Toluca, so they're favored to win. If Puebla has shown anything thus far though, it's that they have the ability to take points away from anywhere.

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About the author
Ivan Sanchez-Carrasco
Based out of Portland, Oregon, A first generation Mexican-American who writes about the Mexican National team, as well as opinion pieces on other soccer topics. Also check out my other writing as well. http://futbolpulse.com/author/ivan-sanchez/