**Santos rolls in as the clear favorite, but don't sleep on how badly both teams need a W.** This is a damage-control clash where one squad walks away looking slightly less broken. 🔴

Santos have been dreadful — one draw in five ain't it — but they've got the home crowd and recent head-to-head edge. Juárez? Five straight losses. They're in freefall and limping in missing key bodies.

Key storylines:

- **Santos' attacking rhythm**: E. Aguirre and D. González will carry the load up front with both teams short on depth in midfield; Santos need to convert chances early before Juárez settles.
- **Juárez's injury crisis**: L. M. Dupuy and L. Romero's absences leave their defensive shape fragile; expect Santos to probe the flanks relentlessly.
- **Head-to-head trend**: Santos lead the all-time series 6–5 over 14 meetings — small margins, but the momentum's theirs.

Expected lineups:

- **Santos Laguna**: C. Acevedo, E. Echeverría, F. Sánchez, F. Pardo, M. Cuevas, A. Lopez Vargas, S. Mariscal, E. Aguirre
- **FC Juárez**: S. Jurado, A. Mayorga, J. Murillo, G. Sepúlveda, J. Aquino, R. Dourado, J. L. Rodríguez, Ó. Estupiñán

Prediction:

**Santos 2–0 Juárez.** Santos edge it on form and the home pitch — should be enough to pick apart a depleted Juárez backline.