Juarez and Atlas will kick off their new Liga MX campaigns on Saturday when they meet at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in the opening round of Apertura fixtures.
Both sides will be aiming for a better season after disappointing finishes last time out - the hosts failed to reach the playoffs in both Apertura and Clausura, while the visitors finished second-bottom in both competitions.
Match preview
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Juarez will be looking to improve their fortunes after missing out on the playoffs last season, falling short by four and six points in the Apertura and Clausura respectively.
Interestingly, their former manager, Diego Mejia, was sacked after a loss to Atlas in January after the team then failed to win in his final eight games in charge, losing seven and drawing one.
Mauricio Barbieri took over the reins in late February but lost his first three matches and failed to win in his first five (four defeats, one draw). However, he managed to turn things around in March, leading the team to three straight victories as the Braves ultimately won four of their final six games.
With a fresh start this campaign, Los Bravos will be hoping to begin on a positive note, but they will need to overcome a three-match winless streak against Atlas to do so.
Juarez have lost the last two meetings against Saturday's opponents by an identical 2-1 scoreline, while they have only won one of their 10 meetings against Atlas, losing eight and drawing one.
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Atlas endured a surprisingly poor campaign last term, finishing second-bottom in both Apertura and Clausura despite Benat San Jose taking charge in November.
They had previously enjoyed success, winning Liga MX titles in 2021 and 2022, and reaching the quarter-final in the 2022-23 Clausura. However, they were unable to replicate these performances in what was their worst season since the 2019-20 campaign.
San Jose will be hoping his side can put last season behind them and start the new campaign strongly when they travel to Chihuahua on Saturday, in what will be their first competitive action since losing to Guadalajara in April.
Atlas have a good record in their visits to Juarez, having never lost there, picking up four wins and a draw in their five visits - a record San Jose's side will be aiming to maintain this weekend.
Team News
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Juarez will head into the new season without goalkeeper Ramon Pasquel, Francisco Nevarez and Gonzalo Pelua, who will all remain on loan at USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC.
Agustin Urzi also remains on loan at Argentine side Racing Club, while Cesar Lopez is the only incoming, joining on a year-long loan from Club Necaxa II.
Aitor Garcia and Angel Garcia are two of Juarez's reliable attackers and they will look to quickly get off the mark this season.
Atlas will be without Colombian forward Mauro Manotas, as he is sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament issue until later this month.
Centre-forward Leonardo Flores joined on loan from Tigres UNAL 20, while another attacker Uros Djurdjevic completed a switch from Sporting Gijon for an unknown fee.
Centre-back Adrian Mora was also added to the squad, joining on loan from Mexican side Toluca.
Juarez possible starting lineup:
Jurado; Edson, Mosquera, Calvo, Orquin; Castro, Villalpando, Del Campo, Venegas, Garcia; Zaldivar
Atlas possible starting lineup:
Vargas; Dominguez, Robles, Nervo, Lozano; Marquez, Rocha, Garcia; Murillo, Aguirre, Fulgencio
We say: Juarez 1-2 Atlas
Atlas had an usually poor season last term compared to other performances in recent years. However, they remain favorites in this fixture as a result of their dominance over Juarez. We expect the hosts to edge this clash in the end.
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