Welcome to the Weekly Clásico, a weekly column that predicts and previews the key matches for the upcoming La Liga and Liga MX matchweeks.
Liga MX: Pachuca vs. Pumas
The Liga MX Apertura 2025 playoffs kick off with a match between Pachuca and Pumas. The loser’s season will come to an end, while the winner will move on to face the loser of Club Tijuana vs. FC Juárez for the coveted eighth seed and final playoff spot.
Pachuca’s season can be summed up in one word: chaotic.
The squad has the poorest form among every playoff team, and is winless in its last five matches while not scoring in its previous two.
Following their defeat on Matchday 17 to Santos, Pachuca fired manager Jaime Lozano. Just earlier this week, Esteban Solari was introduced to fulfill managerial duties. The Argentine coach has yet to sign an official contract with the Tuzos. Luckily for the Tuzos, they will have home-field advantage, thanks to their higher finish in the table.
Pumas managed to claw its way to a tenth-seeded finish, winning its last two games to secure the final play-in spot. After going through a goal drought in the middle of the season, Pumas found an offensive rhythm during the final matchweeks, most notably putting four goals past Club Tijuana on Matchday 16.
The main question that looms over Pumas heading into this fixture is whether or not specific players recently called up for international duty will be available in time. Pumas’ starting goalkeeper Keylor Navas is one of those potential absences, as the Costa Rican veteran just saw his hopes of reaching the next World Cup vanish this past week.
Down the stretch of the regular season, it seemed as though Pachuca just wanted its season to end. With the negative headlines surrounding the Tuzos lately, while Pumas have been trending upwards, the match’s outcome is not hard to predict.
Prediction: Pachuca 0, Pumas 3
Liga MX: Club Tijuana vs. FC Juárez
The second play-in match is between Club Tijuana and FC Juárez. The winner will advance and become the seventh seed, matching up against Tigres in the quarterfinals. The loser will be given one more chance to keep their postseason alive and play the winner of the Pachuca vs. Pumas game.
Tijuana and Juárez had very similar Apertura campaigns. Both sides finished the tournament with six total wins, but only one victory in their last five matches. Only one point separated them, but since Tijuana ended up as the higher seed, they will host the match.
Tijuana has a better attack and more solid defense than Juárez. The side is led by Mexican wonderkid Gilberto Mora, who may be on a minutes restriction after playing for the Mexican National Team during the recent international break. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Mora’s physical readiness, Xolos will turn to its overall strong roster to contain Juárez’s forwards and break down their defensive block.
FC Juárez has a player Tijuana will need to watch for in forward Óscar Estupiñán. The striker finished the Apertura season with eight goals in 13 matches played, making him the primary goal threat for Juárez. If the side can jump out to an early lead and Estupiñán delivers, Tijuana may have trouble getting back into the match.
Tijuana’s solid overall roster is more reliable than Juárez’s dependence on individual brilliance from Estupiñán, giving Tijuana a leg up in this match.
Prediction: Club Tijuana 2, FC Juárez 1
La Liga: Barcelona vs. Athletic Club
The one notable matchup in La Liga this weekend is second-place Barcelona playing host to seventh-place Athletic Club.
The headline for this match is how Barcelona is making its long-awaited return to Spotify Camp Nou, as the newly modernized arena has been closed since 2023 for renovations. The renovations include a new roof, a redesigned bowl, and a future stadium capacity of up to 105,000. During the construction, Barcelona played all of its home games at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Athletic Club is led by young Spanish star Nico Williams, who has struggled with injuries this season. The winger has registered two goals and two assists in eight league matches, and his most recent injury prevented him from being called up to the Spanish National Team. He is expected to be fit for this weekend’s match.
Los Leones started the season by winning three league games in a row, but have been inconsistent since. Through 12 La Liga matches, the side has five wins, five losses, and two draws, with their most recent result being a 1-0 win over last-place Oviedo.
Barcelona has managed to battle for the top spot of the La Liga table despite being riddled with injuries so far this season. The Spanish giants will get a major boost as they are expected to have star winger Raphinha and goalkeeper Joan García return this weekend. Both players have been sidelined since late September.
Barcelona will dominate in its return to Spotify Camp Nou. While the stadium can only hold about 45,000 fans during the initial phase of its reopening, the home support should be extra special on Saturday.
Prediction: Barcelona 4, Athletic Club 1