The last Liga MX game was played by Tigres, who will also be present at the Clausura 2018 opening: Puebla will receive the champion this Friday at 5:00 pm.
After 16 days of vacation after playing against Rayados on December 10, Tigres reported for a not so long preseason but with the necessary time to readjust tactical concepts, create a good physical base, and have them within the discipline that the club requires to compete at the highest level.
So far, aside from Arley Rodriguez, Tigres has not made any signings, in comparison to Puebla who did make different signings, the most outstanding being Alejandro Chumacero, a Bolivian who scored eight goals in 12 matches in the previous Copa Libertadores.
Enrique Meza and Ricardo Ferretti know each other very well, with their respective differences in squads, both coaches try to have a style of play linked to associative football. Short passes, finding the best passing lane to create advantages, and it is there where players like Chumacero, or the incorporation of 'Chatón' Enríquez, become key to the Puebla's game system.
Considering Meza's style, it is likely that against Tigres it could be different and resort to a defensive approach to try to solve problems both in quick offensive transitions and in positional attacks that Tigres' wingers, midfielders, and strikers can implement in the opponent's field.
The lineup that Tigres can field in this match will probably be identical to what it was during the playoffs of last December. So far, no one has left the club, there have been no arrivals as mentioned before, apart from Rodriguez's signing. Maintaining 4-3-3 without opening up the field too much and increasing spaces, or playing with 3-4-3 and prioritizing wing attacks so that Valencia focuses on finishing and not going to the wing, and the midfielders (now with the defensive midfielder from matchday 1) are there to distribute and recover.
Tigres has never won a game in the following season after being crowned champion, it is time to end that statistical asterisk and seek the first 3 points of the tournament in Puebla, a, with all due respect, accessible place for a team like the one that Ricardo Ferretti has today.
gw