Santos Laguna and Toluca are set to face off this Thursday at the Estadio TSM Corona in a highly anticipated Liga MX Apertura clash, marking the second week of the season. With both sides eager to make a strong early statement, the match promises to be a tightly contested encounter.

The visitors will aim to capitalize on their home advantage, while the hosts will be determined to deliver a confident performance on the road and secure their first win of the campaign.

Match preview

Santos Laguna will be aiming to build momentum when they host Toluca at the Estadio TSM Corona in Matchday 2 of the new Liga MX Apertura season.

Despite a difficult run of results in recent months, the Guerreros made a strong statement on opening day, thrashing Pumas 3-0.

Now, they hope to capitalise on home advantage and put together back-to-back wins for the first time in a while.

For the hosts, the focus will be on replicating the attacking intensity they displayed last weekend. They have seen over 1.5 goals scored in each of their last nine games, a sign that their matches rarely lack action.

Santos Laguna’s recent form has been a mixed bag at best as prior to their win over Pumas, they had lost five consecutive matches, including three straight home defeats.

However, under new coach Francisco, the mood around the squad appears to be changing.

Francisco's start to life as Santos boss could not have gone much better. His team showed balance, urgency, and discipline against Pumas, scoring three unanswered goals and keeping a clean sheet.

The challenge now is consistency, and facing a side like Toluca will be a real test of their improvement.

The visitors began their campaign on a confident note as well, defeating Necaxa 3-1 in their opener. That result extended their unbeaten run to five games across all competitions, giving them an edge in form heading into this clash.

Defensively, Toluca look solid. They have kept clean sheets in their last three matches and have not tasted defeat in any of their last eight home games.

Although this match is on the road, their recent away form is also respectable, with two consecutive draws showing they can grind out results when necessary.

With both sides coming off strong wins in their openers and sitting on equal points, this matchup promises to be an intriguing battle. Santos will be eager to show their win was no fluke, while Toluca will look to extend their impressive unbeaten run.

Santos Laguna Liga MX form:

W

Toluca Liga MX form:

Team News

Santos Laguna will be without key defender Bruno Amione, who remains sidelined with a knee injury. Francisco will need to reshuffle his options to ensure the team's structure remains solid for their clash against Toluca.

On the attacking front, Cristian Dajome provided a bright spot in Santos’ opening game, scoring his first goal for the club in the 3-0 win over Pumas. The Colombian forward’s confidence will be high, and his performance will be crucial if Santos are to break down a well-organized Toluca defence.

Toluca, on the other hand, may have to do without goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who is nursing a finger injury. His absence would be significant given the club’s recent run of clean sheets.

To bolster their squad, the visitors recently completed the signing of midfielder Nicolas Castro from Spanish outfit Elche. The Argentine is expected to play some part in the game and could bring a creative spark to the midfield.

Santos Laguna possible starting lineup:

Acevedo; Abella, Ortega, Ballantra, Amione, Echeverria; Lopez, Villaba, Guemez; Dajome, Ocejo

Toluca possible starting lineup:

Garcia; Barbosa, Luan, Pereira, Gallardo, Romero; Ruiz, Vega; Angolo, Dominguez; Paulinho

We say: Santos Laguna 0-2 Toluca

The away side have been in good form of recent as they have not lost in five matches and will also bank on their results on the road to earn a win over Santos Laguna.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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