Monterrey will be hoping to record their first victory of the Liga MX season when they take on Atlas at the Estadio BBVA on Saturday evening.

In their opening match, the hosts played out a 1-1 draw away at Atletico San Luis, while the visitors recorded a solid 2-0 win against Cruz Azul.

Match preview

There were plenty of positive signs for Monterrey last season, finishing second in the Apertura, but they exited the playoffs at the semi-final stage, losing 6-2 to Pachuca on aggregate, in what was a real shock result.

In the Clausura, the White and Blues were even better, finishing top of the table, six points clear of second-placed Club America, but they again failed to deliver in the playoffs, once again being defeated at the semi-final stage, by eventual winners Tigres.

Even though they ultimately came away empty-handed last season, such is the nature of the Liga MX, there are still a lot of positives for La Pandilla to take out of last season, particularly their defensive record, which was the best in the entire division.

It is a new era at the Estadio BBVA, with former manager Victor Manuel Vucetich leaving at the end of last season, being replaced by Fernando Ortiz, but the new manager did not get off to the best of starts.

On the balance of play, Monterrey were really lucky to escape with a point against an Atletico San Luis side that struggled last season, with their opponents missing a second-half penalty, and Ortiz will be expecting a much-improved performance on Saturday.

Their opponents were not at their best last season, with Atlas finishing second-bottom in the first stage of the season, after collecting just 13 points from 17 games, leaving them six points adrift of the playoff places.

There was some improvement in the Clausura, as the Red and Blacks managed to secure a ninth-placed finish, but they exited the playoffs at the quarter-final stage after losing to fierce rivals Guadalajara over two legs.

Despite a difficult 2022-23 campaign, manager Benjamin Mora is still at the helm of La Furia, and his side got off to the perfect start this season, recording a comfortable 2-0 victory against Cruz Azul courtesy of goals from Eduardo Aguirre and Aldo Rocha.

However, Atlas will have to put a very poor recent record against their opponents behind them if they are to take anything from Saturday's game, having won just one of the last nine meetings between the two sides, failing to score in the last three.