- Pumas UNAM have won four of the last five head-to-head meetings in all competitions (1 draw), winning two of those by two goals or more (4-0 and 4-1).
- Pumas are a strong, cohesive and flexible team that are more than capable of scoring multiple goals.
- Mazatlán FC are in the bottom third of the Clausura table with 11 points from 13 games (W3, D2, L8) and have been in inconsistent form throughout the season.
Pumas are a much more complete team
Pumas are on the brink of confirming their top-six standing in the Liga MX 2025-2026 Clausura, but need to beat Mazatlán FC at home on Sunday to be sure.
The UNAM side have 24 points from 13 matches and would be delighted to finish the regular season in a position that ensures a high seed and some advantage in the playoff schedule. Pumas have momentum heading into this and they should win against a struggling Mazatlán side that desperately needs points to pull themselves out of the relegation battle.
Efraín Juárez has taken a talented group of young players and instilled a style of play that is high energy, explosive, attacking and capable of expressing itself through different shapes and structures. Pumas are a width-driven side that likes to play on the front foot, transition quickly, in medium-to-high tempo, but also press selectively.
Keylor Navas keeps them solid at the back with big saves and multiple clean sheets, while Robert Morales gives them a reliable targetman who is always looking to link up with the onrushing Juninho. The attacking playmaker has five Clausura goals and is the type of player that can create a chance or finish them out of nowhere. They have a lot of offensive quality and will need to be at their best to break down this Mazatlán team.
Mazatlán are a defensive-minded side
Sergio Bueno’s men are a compact and solid side that can make it difficult to break them down if they are in form. Mazatlán are not a consistent team and so it is hard to know what to expect from them, although the 4-2 win over fellow strugglers León was a good result to have on the board.
The visitors are a deep-block, disciplined defensive unit that like to counter-attack on their own terms when possible or hit a corner kick. Facundo Almada is a good defender with good feet, but is Mazatlán’s biggest threat with his shooting and set-piece delivery.
Javon Ovalle is the team’s main outlet in the attack and has four league goals for the campaign, but they tend to lean on him to carry the attacking burden. The home side should not be allowed to get much joy against the visitors’ deep defensive structure, but a win will probably be achieved when Pumas find a way through.
Hosts can find a way to get the win
There is a rumour of the franchise being sold and moved so there is a lot going on off the pitch for Mazatlán, which can’t be a positive influence on their players for the final few fixtures. They are long shots at 23/4 with the draw at 71/20 and Pumas are odds-on at 47/100 for this fixture.
Pumas have lost just one of their last five and have some good results in the last few weeks, battling hard with 1-0 wins over Necaxa and América and also holding both Cruz Azul and Chivas to draws. They have recent wins at Estadio Olímpico Universitario in the Clausura and have only lost one of their last 13 league games.
Pumas are a far more complete side than Mazatlán and their recent form is solid, so we’ll take them to win this one. But the ‘Over 2.5 goals’ at 11/20 seems a little short, given that Mazatlán won’t score here. We like ‘BTTS - No’ at 21/20, despite the weather forecast for heavy rain on matchday in Mexico City, and are going for a 2-0 home victory as the main selection.
