Club Tijuana and Pumas will kick off their new Liga MX campaigns when they meet at the Estadio Caliente in the first round of Apertura fixtures.
Both of these teams will be under pressure after a dismal season last time around. They even failed to make it to the playoffs in either Apertura or Clausura phases and will be looking for an improvement this year.
However, qualifying for reclassification looks to be a distant dream for both these sides, especially now that the number of teams entering the reclassification round have been reduced from eight to four, with the top six directly qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Tijuana, for one, finished the Apertura phase in 15th place last term, meaning that they missed out on a place in qualification for the reclassification. Xolos won just four of their 17 regular season matches and suffered a total of eight defeats.
Led by ex-Mexico head coach Miguel "Piojo" Herrera for another season, there's reason for some optimism after wholesale roster changes and they look better prepared for the upcoming season, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory in their most recent match against Queretaro.
As for Pumas, the fact that new manager Antonio Mohamed took over in March and finished the Clausura with a respectable 2W-1D-1L record gives them some hope ahead of the upcoming new season.
Although it wasn't enough to advance to the playoffs, Pumas now have a complete preseason under their belts as they look to improve their standing in the Mexican top-flight this season.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Tijuana vs Pumas kick-off time
| Date: | June 30, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 11:10 pm ET/ 8:10 pm PT |
| Venue: | Estadio Caliente |
The Liga MX Apertura game between Tijuana vs Pumas will be played on Friday, June 30, with kick-off at 11:10 pm Eastern Time (ET) / 8:10 p.m. Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Tijuana vs Pumas online - TV channels & live streams
 | ViX+ | Watch here |
The game will be available to stream live online through ViX+.
Team news & squads
Tijuana team news
Tijuana are unable to call on attacker Lucas Cavallini, who is currently on international duty, representing Canada at the Gold Cup. As per usual, Xolos have rolled the dice in the transfer window, with a long list of chopping and changing in the squad.
Miguel Herrera's men were okay defensively throughout the last season. However, the problems appeared on the opposite end of the pitch as Tijuana lacked a predator capable of scoring a double-digit haul over the course of the season.
To address the issue, they have brought in Paraguayan goalscorer Carlos Gonzalez from Toluca, where he scored 12 goals last season.
Other much-needed reinforcements include veteran goalkeeper Jesus "Chuy" Corona, right-back Diego Barbosa, and midfielder Fernando Madrigal.
Tijuana possible XI: Corona; Godinez, Govea, Lopez, Balanta, Contreras; Castanada, Lertora, Martinez; C Gonzalez, Canelo.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Corona, Diaz, Rodriguez |
| Defenders: | Godinez, Govea, Lis. Lopez, Balanta, Barbosa, N. Diaz, R. Parra, R. Fernandez |
| Midfielders: | Madrigal, Castanada, Lertora, Martinez, Vazquez, Leo. Lopez, Contreras |
| Forwards: | C. Gonzalez, Canelo, Barbona, C. Ortiz |
Pumas team news
Pumas have been busy in the transfer window during the brief pre-season break. With goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa currently out injured, the visitors have moved to sign former Tijuana keeper Gil Alcala, who will provide competition to back-up Julio Gonzalez while Sosa continues his recovery from injury.
Nathan Silva has arrived from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro as one of the more high-profile signings of the window in Mexico. Lisandro Magallan has also been bought from Spanish club Elche but is ruled out of this one due to work visa issues.
They have also done well to keep prolific scorer Juan Dinenno at the club despite a poor season. He netted 23 goals last season, nine of which arrived on their run to the CONCACAF Champions League final.
In order to make way for new additions, the Pedregal club is also trying to offload a number of players, including Higor Meritao, Gabriel Fernandez, and Nicolas Freire, who are not in Antonio Mohamed's plans.
Pumas possible XI: J Gonzalez; Bennevendo, Ortiz, Nathan Silva, Monroy; Salvio, Caicedo, Rivas, Huerta Valera; Del Prete, Dinenno.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | J Gonzalez, Alcala |
| Defenders: | Bennevendo, Ortiz, Silva, Monroy, Sanchez, Galindo, Freire, Aldrete |
| Midfielders: | Salvio, Caicedo, Rivas, Valera, Meritao, Molina, F. Alvarez |
| Forwards: | Del Prete, Dinenno, Huerta, Gutierrez, Salvio |
Head-to-Head Record
There has been little to separate these sides in the recent clashes, with each of the last two matches ending in draws, while both have recorded one win apiece over the last five games.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 28/1/23 | Tijuana 0-0 Pumas | Clausura 2023 |
| 3/7/22 | Pumas 1-1 Tijuana | Apertura 2022 |
| 6/2/22 | Tijuana 1-0 Pumas | Clausura 2022 |
| 24/10/21 | Pumas 3-1 Tijuana | Apertura 2021 |
| 9/1/21 | Xolos 0-0 Pumas | Clausura 2021 |