Preview: Juárez vs. Atlante · prediction, team news, line-ups
FC Juarez host Atlante FC at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez on Tuesday 20 October, with kick-off at 7pm Mexico City time, in Matchday 13 of the Apertura 2026.
The hosts are bottom of the table on four points. The Potros de Hierro sit 16th on 11.
Match preview
Juarez are enduring a miserable Apertura. They are 18th of 18 on four points from 12 games, with one win, one draw, ten defeats and a goal difference of minus 23.
Their latest outing was their worst of the campaign, a 5-0 loss to Cruz Azul. Before that they drew 1-1 with Tijuana, lost 2-1 at Leon, beat Tigres 2-0 and lost 2-1 to Santos Laguna.
Home form is less dire, but still fragile. Juarez have won one, drawn one and lost four of their six games at the Olimpico, scoring five and conceding 11.
Away from home they have lost all six, scoring three and shipping 20. Oscar Estupinan is the main threat with six goals, which accounts for six of the side's eight in total.
Atlante arrive on 11 points, with two wins, five draws and five defeats, and a goal difference of minus six. They have lost back-to-back games, 2-1 at home to Pumas and 2-0 at Queretaro.
Prior to that they beat Monterrey 4-2, drew 1-1 at Puebla and lost 3-0 to Pachuca. Miguel Herrera's side have scored 13 and conceded 19.
On the road, Atlante have won one, drawn two and lost three, scoring six and conceding 10. At home they have won one, drawn three and lost two. Julio Palacios leads the attack, with five team-mates on two goals each.
The head-to-head record is old and favours Juarez. They won 2-0 in a friendly on 28 June 2026 and took both Copa MX ties in 2019, by 2-0 and 1-0. Atlante won both Liga de Expansion MX meetings, 3-2 in 2018 and 2-1 in 2019.
This will be the first top-flight meeting between the sides. Atlante still have one eye on the Liguilla, albeit an increasingly distant one, with 17th-placed Necaxa on nine points behind them. El Universal says Juarez effectively have no route to qualification.
FC Juarez · recent results
- LCruz Azul 5-0 FC Juarez
- DFC Juarez 1-1 Club Tijuana
- LLeon 2-1 FC Juarez
- WFC Juarez 2-0 Tigres UANL
- LSantos Laguna 2-1 FC Juarez
Atlante FC · recent results
- LAtlante FC 1-2 U.N.A.M. - Pumas
- LClub Queretaro 2-0 Atlante FC
- WAtlante FC 4-2 Monterrey
- DPuebla 1-1 Atlante FC
- LAtlante FC 0-3 CF Pachuca
Key stats
Trends · last 5 matches
Team news
Atlante will be without Miguel Herrera on the touchline. The head coach serves a one-match suspension after his dismissal against Pumas.
In terms of injuries, Atlante midfielder Hardy Meza remains out with a fractured kneecap, while Juarez midfielder Lucas Romero is still sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury. The outlets we consulted report no fresh absences for either club.
Neither coach has confirmed his XI. SDP Noticias suggest Juarez could line up with Jurado in goal, a back four of Aquino, Jose Juan Garcia, Murillo and Mayorga, Denzell Garcia, Monchu and Pizarro in midfield, and Jairo Torres, Jose Luis Rodriguez and Estupinan up front. Other sources predict variations.
For Atlante, Oscar Jimenez is named in goal, with Escobar, Tercero, Quiros and Clar in defence, Julio, Pizzuto, Fernandez and Bermudez in midfield, and Sarrafiore and Charcopa leading the line. Katia Garcia is the referee.
Juarez have won one of their last five, are reeling from the 5-0 defeat and concede more than two and a half goals per game. Atlante are inconsistent and travel without their head coach. We expect an open contest, with Estupinan the home side's best weapon and a visiting team that takes something from the game, but not all three points.
Match odds
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