- Pachuca have won three of their last four Liga MX meetings with Pumas, including a 3-1 victory at home in November 2025
- Pachuca and Pumas have been in scintillating form since the end of March, Pachuca winning three of their five recent league fixtures and Pumas winning four of their last five
- Pachuca have scored nine goals in three wins in April but Pumas are unbeaten in their last eight league games
Pumas are in a pocket of form under Efraín Juárez
Pachuca CF are slight favourites for Saturday’s clash with Pumas UNAM at 107/100, but Efraín Juárez’s visitors are a tempting price at 239/100 with a draw available at 5/2. We’ll take the draw at the prices in this clash of two of the most in-form teams in Liga MX 2025-2026 with the odds of 5/2 available offering better value than any of the scoreline markets.
Pumas are unbeaten in their last eight league games, winning four of the last five, and have arrived at the perfect time as both clubs go into this Saturday’s crucial matchup second and third in the table with 33 and 31 points respectively. A Pachuca win will move them above Pumas in the Liguilla pecking order, but a victory for the Mexico City club will lock up second place and keep the pressure on leaders Chivas.
These two sides' overall head-to-head remains tight, but Pachuca have been the better side recently, winning three of the past four meetings. They won 3-1 at home in November 2025, but that result has done little to disrupt the overall tightness of the head-to-head.
Pachuca’s pressing game will be tested by Pumas’ patience
Esteban Solari’s side have been one of the most attractive and adventurous sides in the Liga MX this season, pressing high up the pitch and playing wide players like Robert Kenedy in advanced positions to overwhelm opponents with numbers. They play a free-flowing, high-tempo attacking game with width, which means Pachuca have become very effective going forward in the second half of the season.
Solari’s changes of system and personnel have made Pachuca a very dangerous side since the beginning of April, when Pachuca beat Monterrey 3-1 away and then beat Santos 4-2 at home, the latter highlighted by Víctor Guzmán’s hat-trick. A hat-trick for Chiquis at Estadio Miguel Hidalgo is likely to be the difference-maker in this contest as Pachuca have the attacking players to come out on top.
Guillermo Martínez is Pumas’ equivalent talisman, his goals helping keep them on a high during their unbeaten run since the start of March. He will play alongside Robert Morales up front, with both Martínez and Morales scoring twice in the 4-2 win over Juárez last time out.
Pumas have more than enough attacking quality to challenge Pachuca with Uriel Antuna providing a creative spark on the right-hand side and the pace of Pedro Vite and Juninho providing a link between defence and attack.
Pumas are a compact, disciplined and resilient unit
Pumas play a different type of football to Pachuca and Solari’s players, who are a bit more adventurous and open, but both coaches are very good at getting the most out of their players. The difference here is in the detail and it comes down to which style of play is going to prevail on the day.
Pachuca’s high press and preference for attacking full backs will be put to the test by Pumas’ compact, counter-focused approach to football. Both teams to score - Yes is very heavily favoured at 11/20, which matches our expectation that this will be an open, entertaining game between two sides with their attacking stars in full health and confidence.
We are taking the draw in the full-time result market at 5/2 because Pumas are a very disciplined and compact team that will make Pachuca earn their way through the thirds to create chances. The home crowd will love the altitude and Pachuca’s fast-paced football, but Pumas are a very resilient road team and always find a way to avoid defeat, so we are expecting a very close match with 1-1 or 2-1 looking like the most likely scorelines.
