Toluca match preview

By: j | September 11th, 2008

After the extended international break, Monterrey gets back to work with a trip to Toluca to face the Diablos Rojos. The month of August was a wild roller-coaster ride for the Rayados and with it ending on high-note, they will need to find the momentum and keep driving forward.

Recent Form
Monterrey – combined (2 W, 1 D, 2 L) (8 GS, 8 GA)
Aug 9 Guadalajara 1 – 1 Monterrey
Aug 16 Monterrey 2 – 4 Tecos
Aug 23 Cruz Azul 3 – 2 Monterrey
Aug 27 Necaxa 0 – 1 Monterrey
Aug 30 Monterrey 2 – 0 Santos

Monterrey – away (1 W, 2 D, 1 L) (6 GS, 6 GA)
Jul 27 Puebla 2 – 2 Monterrey
Aug 9 Chivas 1 – 1 Monterrey
Aug 23 Cruz Azul 3 – 2 Monterrey
Aug 27 Necaxa 0 – 1 Monterrey

Toluca – combined (1 W, 2 D, 2 L)(7 GS, 7 GA)
Sun. 10 Pumas 2 – 1 Toluca
Wed. 13 Toluca 0 – 1 Chivas
Sun. 17 Toluca 3 – 1 Puebla
Sat. 23 Indios de Ciudad Juárez 1 – 1 Toluca
Sat. 30 Tecos 2 – 2 Toluca

Toluca – home (2 W,0 D,1 L)(5 GS, 1 GA)
Sun. 3 Toluca 2 – 1 América
Wed. 13 Toluca 0 – 1 Chivas
Sun. 17 Toluca 3 – 1 Puebla

Ricardo Lavolpe has a interesting match ahead of his Toluca as while Monterrey has won in the past on its offensive flourish, its defensive abilities the last two matches have seen the club rebound. However Toluca is a club with a great deal of promise with Martín Romagnoli,Héctor Mancilla and Carlos Esquivel providing the firepower and the play of Diego Ordaz, Felipe Baloy and José María Basanta is critical for Monterrey’s success in this match. Toluca is susceptible to the counter-attack although they are stingy at home so Monterrey will need to be patient. Prior to the break Carlos Ochoa and Humberto Suazo were showing a much higher productivity rate that in the pass with Chupete’s passing ability blossoming. It is interesting to see how the break has impacted this as away-points are extremely important for Monterrey.

I will report on the match as it concludes on Sunday.