Preview: CD Guadalajara vs Juarez - prediction, team news, lineups

Both seeking to bounce back from their opening-day defeat, CD Guadalajara and Juarez go head to head at the Akron Stadium in matchday two of the Liga MX Apertura campaign on Sunday morning.

While Los Bravos will be out to secure their first away win in the league since March 5, Gabriel Milito’s men will be aiming to give their fans something to cheer for, having lost their last two league games in Jalisco.

Match preview

It was another sour start to the Apertura campaign for Guadalajara as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Toluca in last Sunday's season opener after playing with 10 men for most of the second half at the Akron Stadium.

With Alexis Vega breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half time, Angel Sepulveda’s 50th-minute red card gave the visitors a numerical advantage, one they would make the most of, with Jesus Gallardo netting in the 74th minute to seal the result.

Guadalajara have now failed to win their opening game of the new Apertura campaign in three straight years, stretching back to July 2023, when they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Club Leon courtesy of goals from Antonio Briseno and Yael Padilla.

Milito’s men head into the new top-flight campaign off the back of a solid Clausura run last season, where they finished sixth in the standings to make the playoffs before suffering a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals.

Since their playoff exit, Guadalajara have strengthened in the market, bringing in new faces, including Mexican international Kevin Castaneda and 24-year-old Jordan Carrillo, who racked up six goals and three assists in 22 Clausura matches for Pumas last term.

Like Guadalajara, Juarez were denied a dream start to the new campaign in front of their home supporters as they fell to a 1-0 loss against 10-man Puebla at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in last Saturday’s curtain-raiser.

In a game where Iker Moreno received his marching orders, Ignacio Maestro Puch’s well-worked goal inside the box in the 11th minute proved to be the difference as the visitors held on to see out their first win in nine Liga MX games.

This followed a promising run of results in pre-season, where Juarez went unbeaten in each of their four warm-up games, picking up two wins and two draws, including a 1-1 stalemate against MLS side Colorado Rapids on July 10.

While Pedro Caixinha’s men failed to qualify for the Clausura playoffs last season, they secured post-season football in the Apertura after defeating Tijuana and Pachuca in the Play-In before suffering a 2-1 aggregate loss against Toluca in the playoff quarter-finals.

While Juarez will be aiming to bounce back from their opening-day slump, next up is the challenge of an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in nine of their last 10 meetings, losing five and claiming four draws since August 2021.

CD Guadalajara Liga MX form:

CD Guadalajara form (all competitions):

Juarez Liga MX form:

Juarez form (all competitions):

Team News

Guadalajara will have to cope without veteran attacker Sepulveda, with the 35-year-old set to miss out this weekend’s tie due to suspension following his red card against Toluca.

In his absence, 28-year-old Ricardo Marin should be handed his first start of the season, forming the two-man attack with Roberto Alvarado, who racked up three assists in five matches for Mexico in the just-concluded World Cup.

On the injury front, Leonardo Sepulveda missed last week’s opening game through an ankle problem and the 25-year-old defender is a doubt for Sunday’s matchup.

As for Juarez, Lucas Romero’s debut ended abruptly against Puebla last Saturday after coming off injured in the seventh minute, and the former Recoleta man is also a major doubt for the trip to the Akron Stadium.

Should Romero fail to shake off the injury, Denzell Garcia should come into Los Bravos' XI, teaming up with Guilherme Castilho and Spanish midfielder Monchu at the centre of the park.

CD Guadalajara possible starting lineup:

Rangel; Aguirre, Romo, Campillo; F Gonzalez; Ledezma, Govea, Castaneda, B Gonzalez, Alvarado, Marin

Juarez possible starting lineup:

Jurado; Mayorga, Murillo, Ortega, Aquino; Monchu, Garcia, Castilho; Ricardinho, Silva, Estupinan

We say: CD Guadalajara 3-1 Juarez

Meetings between Guadalajara and Juarez have often served up fireworks in the past and another action-packed contest could be on our hands this weekend as both sides aim to get their season up and running.

A return of just one win from their last eight Liga MX away games means Caixinha’s men are in for a tough challenge in Jalisco, and given Guadalajara’s strong run of results in recent meetings between the two teams, we fancy them to outplay and outclass the visitors this weekend.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.