Gallos Blancos de Querétaro: Aiming for Success in Apertura 2017

Led by their coach Jaime Lozano, the Gallos Blancos de Querétaro will seek to be protagonists in the Apertura 2017; however, their priority is to move away from the bottom of the relegation table, as they will start in 15th place in the percentage table with a slight advantage over Atlas and Veracruz, and also keeping an eye on what Lobos BUAP, recently promoted to Liga MX, can do.

Victor Manuel Vucetich's era with the Querétaro team came to an end in Matchday 4 of Clausura 2017, as he only managed to secure two out of the possible 12 points. This opened the doors for former Pumas player, Jaime Lozano, to make his coaching debut in the top division.

Jaime directed 13 matches in the regular season, in which he achieved five victories, two draws and six defeats; statistics that placed him in 15th place in the general table, and also brought the team back into the fight to avoid relegation. This, added to the failure of defending the Copa MX title.

As they head into this new tournament, the Gallos Blancos sought to strengthen their squad with a big signing in the Mexican soccer draft. Although there were approaches with Spanish striker Fernando Torres, this move did not materialize as 'El Niño' renewed his contract with Atlético Madrid.

Despite this, the board made several changes to the squad. Among the most notable departures are midfielder Neri Cardozo, who will return to Monterrey after the end of his loan period, and the transfer of forward Ángel Sepúlveda to Monarcas Morelia. As for the new arrivals, midfielders Erbin Trejo and Javier Güemez stand out, coming from Toluca and América respectively, along with Everaldo Stum, a Brazilian goal scorer from Atlético Goianiense.

In terms of preparation matches, Querétaro played seven friendly games, winning three, drawing two, and losing two. They also competed in the Supercopa MX 2017 against América, where they were crowned champions with a 2-0 victory.

PREDICTION: The Querétaro team has maintained the core group of players with whom they participated in Clausura 2017. For Apertura, they will be a competitive and uncomfortable team for their rivals when playing at home. Their priority will be to move away from the bottom of the relegation table, and with a streak of victories, they could qualify for the playoffs.