Liga MX Guardianes Round 13 Odds & Picks: Club América and UNAM value for a draw at +250?

• Week 13 incoming in Mexico’s 2020-21 Apertura, re-named as “Guard1anes”
• León are the current leaders, with Cruz Azul trailing them by just two points
• See all odds and best bets for Mexico Liga MX Round 13

As we approach Week 13 of Mexico’s Liga MX Torneo Guardianes, Leon leads Cruz Azul by a single point at the top of the table, with Club América and Pumas UNAM both still in contention. This is the first section (Apertura) of Mexico’s two-stage league competition for 2020-21, with “Guard1anes” being attached to the name in honor of the efforts of the nation’s health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’ll list eight games, show the odds, preview three, and offer a pick for each.

Liga MX Torneo Guardianes Round 13 Odds

All odds taken Oct 2

Pick 1: Toluca vs Cruz Azul

The Estadio Nemesio Díez plays host on Sunday to Toluca vs Cruz Azul, with the visitors currently second and just a single point behind leaders Leon. The hosts head into this off the back of a 0-0 draw with Pachuca, an unsurprising result given their struggles in front of goal in recent weeks. In their last six games, they have scored just four times while conceding 12 in the process.

Toluca do, however, have a reasonable recent record against Cruz – unbeaten in the last three – but the flip side is they are also without a win against them in their last seven league matches. There have been several draws along the way.

Cruz also drew 0-0 last weekend, but as it was against third-placed Club América and so was considered a decent result, with Club unable to close the two-point gap between the two teams above. Cruz are the league’s third-highest scorers, with 20 goals from their 12 games, but they also excel defensively having conceded just nine goals.

The most recent meeting between these two, in February, ended 3-3 but the form guide tilts this one heavily in favor of Cruz. A mean defense for the visitors and with the hosts being goal-shy means the +950 on offer for the 2-0 away win looks well worth a shot.

Pick: Cruz Azul to win 2-0 (+950)

Entró, generó, intentó y tuvo una oportunidad cerca del final del encuentro.

¡Venga, Misa! 🎩#ConTodoContraTodo #UnaFormaDeVida pic.twitter.com/qOSAb3lahM

— CRUZ AZUL (@CruzAzul) September 29, 2020

Pick 2: Club América vs Pumas UNAM

Pumas UNAM head to the Estadio Azteca on Sunday, with Club América desperate for a win to keep them in touch with Leon and Cruz Azul. Equally, a win for UMAN would take them above the hosts. With six rounds of the regular season to go, a win here for either would leave them well placed to automatically progress through to the knockout phase of the competition, although Club missed out on an opportunity to gain ground on those above with the 0-0 with Cruz Azul. But it was a rare shut out given they had scored ten in their previous five games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szClgUAYoTg

América hasn’t lost in the league to UNAM in their previous two meetings but, equally, haven’t won in the last five games between these two. In their favor though is a decent home record where they are unbeaten in their last three.

Last weekend, UNAM drew 1-1 with Necaxa, but have generally been full of goals with 13 in their last six games. Their record against Club, especially at the Azteca isn’t great though, and they’ve not won there in five games, albeit the last two between the pair have been drawn. Everything points to this being a close one and with so much at stake and a single point separating them in the table, my money here is on the draw.

Pick: Club América vs Pumas UNAM to draw (+250) 

Pick 3: Puebla vs Santos Laguna

Puebla host Santos Laguna at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc on Saturday, with six places but just two points separating the teams in the table. While the hosts are currently ninth, and therefore in the mix for the playoff places for the knockout phase of the Liga MX Torneo Guardianes season, Santos in 15th place are currently just outside those qualifying positions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM8IVc-gLgM

Last weekend, Puebla drew 3-3 with 14-placed Querétaro FC while Santos were winning 2-1 away at 10th-placed Toluca, so it’s the visitors who come into this with momentum. Santos also has an outstanding record against Puebla, having gone 14 league games unbeaten against them dating back to January 2013, and another ongoing issue for the hosts is their defensive frailty. Their 3-3 draw with Querétaro was typical of a side that can score goals but also concedes far too many.

All things considered, with Santos still in plus money, that, for me, is where the value lies.

Pick: Santos Laguna to win (+125)