Dec 14

Veracruz v Pumas UNAM: Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips

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Veracruz v Pumas UNAM: Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips.

This betting preview contains recent form, possible lineups, injury news, match predictions and betting tips for Veracruz v Pumas UNAM.

Fixture: Veracruz v Pumas UNAM League: Liga MX Apertura Venue: Luis ‘ Pirata' de la Fuente Stadium Date: 28/10/16 Kickoff: 10PM ET (US)

Betting Preview:

Coming into Jornada 15 (Round 15), we find two teams that are fighting for wins for two very different purposes. Pumas are trying desperately to qualify for the Liguilla Apertura (playoffs for Liga MX), and Veracruz are trying to accumulate any points whatsoever to start to stave off the threat of relegation. Pumas have the advantage of kicking off the weekend of action in Liga MX this week, and they know that a win could take them straight into 5th place in the table (for reference, the top 8 teams qualify for the Liguilla, and Pumas currently sit in 9th place with 20 points). Veracruz are sitting just three points from the bottom this year, and they also know that any distance they can create between themselves and last-place Chiapas will serve them well. But does either team really have the goods to get the results needed? Pumas are the quintessential Jekyll and Hyde team in Liga MX this year. Their home record is nearly spotless - they have 6 wins and a single loss while playing in their own confines. But their road record is another story; they've yet to actually win a match on the road and are sitting on 5 straight losses. In fact, they've only managed to put together 5 goals on the road this year...and one of those was an own goal gift from their opposition. But before we start to count out Pumas too quickly, you have to know that there is a reason that Veracruz is facing a very real relegation threat if they don't pull it together. Veracruz are nearly as bad on the road as Pumas are, but they've only had moderate success at home. They do have a pair of wins to show for their efforts, but they're currently sitting on three straight home losses - yet when you factor in that two of those games were lost to Chivas and Leon, it can almost be forgiven. The one positive takeaway here is that Veracruz actually score decently at home, they've put forth ten goals so far at home this year with Julio Furch nabbing 4 of those himself with his recent good form.

Possible Lineups:

Veracruz: Furch, Albin, Chiapas, Luna, Andrade, Acosta, Paganoni, Nova, Lopez, Vera, Gallese Pumas: Gallardo, Britos, Barrera, Cortes, Escamilla, Gonzalez, Fuentes, Veron, Alcoba, van Rankin, Palacios

Injury News:

No major injury news for either side, but look for van Rankin (Pumas) to possibly to be a starter in this fixture while defensive stalwart Macelo Alatorre serves a suspension for a red card in his last match.

Match Prediction:

I have to give the slightest nod to Veracruz here. Even though Pumas look to be the superior side on paper, they simply haven't found a way to score on the road. And Veracruz gave a good account of themselves last week in their match against a surprisingly good Necaxa side, and I would expect that uptick in form to carryover here. A draw wouldn't do anything for either of these sides and I think they both play for the win at any cost - the difference is that Veracruz appears to be the only team in this spot that has the ability to do so.

Betting Tips:

All of the odds provided below are from SkyBet. New users will get a £20 free bet when they deposit and bet £5. Veracruz to win @ 6/4 Double Chance: Veracruz/Draw @ 4/9 Over 2.5 goals @ 5/6