Week 12 brings us a match on Apr 4th, where Santos Laguna will play host to Pachuca in a clash of these two extremely mismatched Liga MX teams. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy but hot day with daytime temperatures of 33 degrees, which hopefuly doesnt affect the pace of the match. Santos Laguna is fresh off their 2-2 draw against Puebla. Israel Reyes struck first for Puebla in the 57th minute on a feed from Juan Pablo Segovia, then Martín Barragán added another in the 74th minute. Santos Laguna is looking for direction having 3 win and 5 losses in their last 10 matches, while in their last match, 1st placed Pachuca, recorded a 1-0 shutout win against Cruz Azul. Erick Sanchez scored the first goal for Pachuca in the 18th minute, and that was all the excitement the two teams could muster In the end, Cruz Azul was frustrated by Pachuca’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Pachuca ended the match with the shutout victory. Pachuca looks to continue their winning ways, having 8 wins in their last 10 matches.
Santos Laguna and Pachuca last played eachother at the Estadio Hidalgo on Oct 17th. Pachuca and Santos Laguna battled to a 1-1 draw. Nicolás Ibañez struck first for Pachuca in the 69th minute, then Fernando Gorriaran Fontes tied it up for Santos Laguna in the 88th minute earning Santos Laguna a comeback draw.
Nicolás Ibañez has been the most effective weapon for Pachuca lately. The Argentinian attacker has netted 3 goals in his last five matches. Santos Laguna is glad to have Harold Fabian Preciado Villarreal in top form. In the last five matches the attacker has scored four goals.