- Chivas are the top team in Liga MX Clausura 2026, with 31 points from 14 games, ten wins and only three losses.
- Necaxa sit in mid-table with 17 points from 15 matches.
Chivas’ firepower may be too hot for Necaxa
Chivas de Guadalajara will be looking to secure top spot in the Liga MX 2025-2026 Clausura season, and with it, the seeding advantages that come with it in the playoffs, when they face off against Necaxa at Estadio Victoria on Thursday.
Necaxa will be desperate for the three points in this late-season match as they attempt to climb into the Liguilla positions. They have been a mixed bag in their recent performances, with two wins, a draw and two defeats in the last five games, with the good performances showing plenty of attacking intent, but a lack of stability defensively, especially away from home.
Martín Varini’s men have been very compact, disciplined in midblocks and quick on the counter when they have the ball in the final third. Varini, a young Uruguayan tactician, has brought some stability to a club that has gone through a lot of change in the 2025-2026 campaign and a home result would be a welcome boost ahead of their next match.
Visitors’ goal-scoring exploits are a national talking point
Guadalajara’s goal-scoring exploits have been a national talking point for months now, with Armando ‘La Hormiga’ González, Chivas’ top scorer in the Clausura with a double-digit tally, the focal point of Gabriel Milito’s attack. His performances have been the talking point of the season and it is difficult to see how Necaxa will keep him quiet.
Milito’s side play a high-octane style, pressing aggressively and launching quick attacks with a fluid 4-3-3 that can become a 4-2-3-1. The team’s midfield rotation of Richard Ledezma, Brian Gutiérrez and Raúl Rangel adds the necessary dynamism and assists, but the team’s success is a product of the whole rather than any individual.
Javier Ruiz, Necaxa’s top scorer, has been the man for big goals in this campaign and brings creativity from midfield, while forwards Julián Carranza and Tomás Badaloni offer additional attacking threat when fit.
Press vs structure should be a fascinating match
The visitors are the clear favourites in this fixture, with odds of 1.69 compared to Necaxa’s 4.37, which is a fair reflection of the form of both teams and their respective league positions. Chivas will get the three points here, but a home goal for the hosts would not be a surprise, given how much of a contrast their styles are.
A clash of Chivas’ relentless pressing style and Necaxa’s solid structure should be an intriguing game to watch, but Chivas’ extra attacking quality should ensure that the ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market at 1.62 is the best place to put money in this contest.
