Santos Laguna visits Ciudad Universitaria this Sunday, a field that traditionally gives them trouble, but where they need to win to stay in the playoff zone, against Pumas who want to secure their position in the playoffs.

It is Round 9 of the Clausura 2017 Tournament and Santos Laguna is undefeated but has had too many draws, which have pushed them back week after week, after being close to the top.

The team led by José Manuel de la Torre has four consecutive draws, so they try to break that streak in their favor, that is, to win three points on a field that has been quite difficult for them and where they have not been able to win since the Apertura 2013 Tournament, so that is the task they have.

Santos is currently in 7th place in the competition with 12 points, but they know that if they lose against Pumas, they will be surpassed in points and position by their rival, so they must go out fully concentrated, especially with their aim corrected.

The laguneros arrive at this confrontation with only two wins so far, so they are at risk of dropping out of the top eight in the standings if they suffer their first defeat, something the whole team does not want, as they set themselves the goal of achieving at least 30 points in this tournament.

On the other hand, Pumas comes from a loss against Querétaro, so in this match they should be concerned about improving, especially in their defensive zone, as in their last two matches they have conceded 7 goals, which has put them among the most scored upon teams in the competition, something atypical for this team.

Their coach, Juan Francisco Palencia, is trying to better position his players and knows that they are in danger at home against a Santos team that is usually very dangerous on the counterattack or on set pieces.

Unfortunately for them, UNAM was eliminated from the Concacaf Champions League, with Tigres being their executioner, so now they are solely and exclusively focused on the league. Santos advanced to the round of 16 in the Cup, after defeating América.

The last time these two teams faced each other was in Round 9 of the Apertura 2016 Tournament and Santos won 3-1 at the Corona Stadium. In CU they faced each other in the Clausura 2016 and ended in a 1-1 draw.

The field at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a terrain that suits the laguneros well, as in the last five confrontations they have had, they have drawn three, won one, and only suffered one defeat.

In terms of statistics, until the previous round, Santos had individual highlights such as Ulises Rivas, with the longest distance covered with 91.82 kilometers, Gael Sandoval as the fourth place in assists with 4, Carlos Izquierdoz as the third in balls recovered with 197, and Jonathan Rodríguez as the third in shots on goal with 11.

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