Pumas will aim to extend their undefeated start to the 2023 Liga MX Apertura season on Sunday, when they make the trip to take on Pachuca.
Pachuca came into the new Liga MX season off the back of a remarkable campaign in which they won their first domestic trophy since 2016 in the Apertura phase, before finishing fifth and suffering an early knockout in reclassification of the Clausura stage.
That being said, the new season hasn't kicked off the way Guillermo Almada's side planned. After losing the Campeon de Camepones convincingly against Tigres, they played out a subpar 1-1 draw to Mazatlan in their 2023 Apertura opener, followed by an absolute hammering at the hands of Club Leon.
That means the hosts are in 16th place in the embryonic league standings and are still searching for their first win of the season, but their task will be no easier against Pumas, who have made a solid start to the new campaign.
After a disappointing 2022 Liga MX season, failing to even make it to the reclassification in both Apertura and Clausura phases, Pumas have begun the new season in great form heading into matchweek three and will fancy themselves against an out-of-sorts Pachuca outfit.
They are unbeaten in their two league matches this season, with a 3-2 victory in the opening encounter against Club Tijuana and a 0-0 draw against Mazatlan last time out. With 4 out of 6 available points collected, the visitors are currently sitting seventh in the Apertura table.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Pachuca vs Pumas kick-off time
| Date: | July 16, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 10:15 pm ET/7:15 pm PT |
| Venue: | Estadio Hidalgo |
The match between Pachuca and Pumas UNAM on Matchday 3 of the Liga MX Apertura 2023 will take place this Sunday, July 16 at 10:15 pm (ET) or 7:15 pm PT in Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca.
How to watch Pachuca vs Pumas online - TV channels & live streams
 | ViX+ | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast live on TV in the United States but will be available to stream on ViX+.
Team news & squads
Pachuca team news
Pachuca will once again be without the services of Luis Chavez and Erick Sanchez as they are on Gold Cup duty with the Mexican national team. Midfielder Israel Luna is also a major injury doubt after he was taken off early in the Leon defeat, with Pedro Pedraza in line to replace him in the midfield double-pivot.
After the 4-0 thumping against Leon last time out, head coach Guillermo Almada could look to make a raft of personnel tweaks for Sunday's match.
Pachuca tried their best to create danger against Leon but were unable to create any clear-cut chances. The lacklustre performance could lead to a major reshuffle in attack, with attackers Fernando Ovelar and Illian Hernandez set to dislodge Paulino de la Fuente and Roberto de la Rosa from the starting lineup.
Pachuca possible XI: Ustari; Castillo, Cabral, Barreto, Rodriguez; Ovelar, Montiel, Pedraza, J Hernandez; Di Yorio, I. Hernandez.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Ustari, Moreno |
| Defenders: | B. Castillo, Cabral, Barreto, M. Rodriguez, Blanco, Pedro, Vazquez |
| Midfielders: | Pedraza, Casiano, Figueroa, Marchand, A. Montiel, Hinestroza |
| Forwards: | Di Yorio, De la Rosa, De la Fuente, Hinestroza, Ovelar, I. Hernandez, A. Dominguez, Ovelar |
Pumas team news
There are no fresh injury concerns for Pumas ahead of their trip to Pachuca. After a strong start to the new season, Antonio Mohamed has no reason whatsoever to either tinker with his tried-and-tested 4-4-2 setup or make many changes to his playing XI.
As ever, star striker Juan Dinenno will spearhead the attack, having already opened his account for the season against Tijuana after hitting 14 goals last season.
Pumas possible XI: Gonzalez; Bennevendo, Nathan, Ortiz, Aldrete; Salvio, Rivas, Caicedo, Huerta; Dinenno, Del Prete.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | J Gonzalez, Alcala |
| Defenders: | Bennevendo, Ortiz, Silva, Monroy, Sanchez, Galindo, Freire, Aldrete, Nathan, Reyes |
| Midfielders: | Salvio, Caicedo, Rivas, Valera, Meritao, Molina, F. Alvarez, Trigos |
| Forwards: | Del Prete, Dinenno, Huerta, Gutierrez, Salvio, Ruvalcaba, Fernandez |
Head-to-Head Record
The last time these two clubs met was in Liga MX Clausura 2023 back in March, where Pumas came away with a comfortable 2-0 victory. In the last five meetings between the two teams, Pumas have the upper hand, winning two times (D2, L1).
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 19/3/23 | Pumas 0-2 Pachuca | Clausura 2023 |
| 25/7/22 | Pachuca 0-0 Pumas | Apertura 2022 |
| 1/5/22 | Pumas 2-0 Pachuca | Clausura 2022 |
| 31/10/21 | Pachuca 1-1 Pumas | Apertura 2021 |
| 4/4/21 | Pumas 2-0 Pachuca | Clausura 2021 |