- Necaxa have won two, drawn three and lost five of their last ten matches in all competitions
- CF Atlante have won four, drawn three and lost three of their last ten matches in all competitions
Midfield maestro against pace and power
Necaxa are the clear favourites to win Friday's Liga MX 2026-2027 clash with CF Atlante at 1.8, which leaves the draw at 3.78 and CF Atlante at 3.94.
There is a lot to unpack in this game with Necaxa a midfield-heavy side that play with a compact structure and use a very disciplined block to control the pace and dictate the play. When they get the ball, they make good use of the space behind the opposition's lines and transition quickly to get in behind.
CF Atlante are a different proposition, giving the ball away more than they should at times, but playing with a lot more tempo and width than their opponents, which makes for a matchup between a chess game and a fast-paced game of football.
Atlante have been a little better
Necaxa have won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five matches and don't inspire enough confidence to back them for 90 minutes. The last three games saw them draw 1-1 at home to Club Tigres de la UANL, draw 0-0 at home to CD Chivas de Guadalajara and then lose 4-1 away to Cruz Azul.
CF Atlante have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five, so it's a similar story for the visitors, but they have looked sharper in the key moments. In the Liga de Expansion MX - Playoffs 2026, their home game with CD Tepatitlan de Morelos saw them win 2-0 before losing the away leg 2-0.
Backing the away side
Tomas Badaloni is Necaxa's main man in terms of his spark, with two goals in the last five for a side that have only scored five times in that span. Martin Varini's men have been solid and disciplined recently. CF Atlante have had the better of it in recent results, despite being winless in their last two away games, suffering two defeats, which isn't a great omen for this away game. Miguel Fuentes' men have a slightly better overall form than their hosts, which is why a narrow home win or a draw feels the most likely outcome. Necaxa are unbeaten in their last three home games, winning one and drawing two, so they should be able to grind out a result on home soil in a scrappy game. The odds on both teams to score and over 2.5 goals seem a bit steep to me at 1.59 and 1.64 respectively, so I'm passing on that opportunity and taking Necaxa to nick it in a very tight, nervy fixture.
