San Luis vs Toluca: Liga MX Clash of Contrasting Fortunes

The Liga MX resumes this weekend with an intriguing clash between two sides at opposite ends of the table - Atletico San Luis and Toluca. The match at the Alfonso Lastras Stadium on Friday night pits the struggling home side, mired in 14th place, against second-placed Toluca, who were flying high until a recent 5-1 thumping by leaders Club America.

San Luis have managed just two wins from their last 13 outings in Mexico’s top flight, a poor run of form that has left them looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone. They will need to find some inspiration from somewhere to halt the slide against Toluca, who had been on an eight-game unbeaten streak prior to that humbling defeat by the pacesetters.

Argentinian hitman Leonardo Bonatini has missed San Luis’ last two games through injury and is a doubt for this one, along with midfielder Andres Iniestra. Their absences would be a big blow for a side already low on confidence. Vitinho and Óscar Macías are definitely ruled out.

At the other end of the pitch, the home defence will need to be on top form to contain the threat of Cameroonian striker Michael Barrene, who has 7 goals already this term to lead the Toluca attack. The midfield battle will also be key, with Toluca’s creative hub of Tiago Volpi, Jean Meneses and Leo Fernandez likely to cause plenty of problems if given time and space to dictate the play.

However, Toluca will have to reshuffle their backline with centre-back Hector Huerta still recovering from a knee injury. Hernan Dario Burbano is expected to deputise, with Jorge Torres Nilo and Andres Mosquera either side of him in the three-man defence employed by coach Nacho Ambriz.

For the neutral, this game has the makings of an entertaining clash of styles - San Luis fighting for their lives versus a Toluca team still harbouring aspirations of catching Club America at the summit. Pride, grit and determination on one side against the quality and attacking verve of the visitors on the other. An away win would be no surprise, but writing off the home team’s hopes entirely could be dangerous.

In the end, fine margins often decide such encounters. If San Luis can frustrate their more illustrious opponents and snatch something on the counter, it would be a much-needed boost. But if Toluca play to their full potential, they should have too much class and goal threat to be denied all three points on the road. A tense night lies ahead in San Luis Potosi.