Tigres vs Santos Laguna Odds & Prediction – Liga MX Apertura Round 3
- Beaten Clausura finalist Santos Laguna heads to Tigres UANL at 10pm ET on Saturday
- Striker Andre Pierre Gignac could return to action after exploits for France at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
- See all odds and best bets for Tigres vs Santos Laguna – Liga MX Apertura Round 3
Santos Laguna will be looking to maintain its unbeaten start when it visits Tigres UANL in Mexico’s Liga MX Apertura competition on Saturday.
The Mexican league hits Round 3 of its first championship of the 2021-22 season this weekend.
After defeat by champions Cruz Azul in the final of the Clausura tournament last season, Santos Laguna has opened with a win and a draw.
Tigres vs Santos Laguna Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tigres UANL vs Santos Laguna | TIG -0.5 (+105) | SAN +0.5 (-175) | TIG +125 | SAN +250 | DRAW +215 | Ov 2.5 (+125) | Un 2.5 (-165) |
Odds as of August 7 at DraftKings
It has put the team in fifth place in the early standings.
Tigres, meanwhile, is in 12th place after winning its opening game and subsequently losing the second time out.
Playoff Elimination for Tigres
That has come after Tigres was eliminated at the first Playoff stage in last season’s Clausura – having finished 10th in the regular-season standings.
In spite of Santos Laguna’s more impressive start to the new campaign, the oddsmakers at DraftKings rate Tigres as the favorite for a home win at +125.
https://youtu.be/Q5pCNpigqI0
Santos Laguna, furthermore, is priced at +250 with the draw at +215.
The game kicks off at the Estadio Universitario at 10pm ET.
Significantly, Tigres is likely to welcome back Olympic star and veteran goal-getter Andre Pierre Gignac of France.
He hit a hat-trick for his nation at the Games in Japan against South Africa.
Furthermore, those taking part either in the Olympics or the Gold Cup tournament in the USA have now returned to Mexico.
Training from earlier today … including new signing Alessio Da Cruz!! #ModoGuerrero ⚔️pic.twitter.com/JS8hAAmyc9
— Club Santos EN (@ClubSantosEn) August 5, 2021
Along with Gignac, these Olympic players included fellow French Tigres’ star Florian Thauvin.
Indeed, Thauvin will make his debut for Tigres against Santos after signing on a free transfer from Marseille last month.
Mexico’s squad at the Gold Cup, meanwhile, also included Tigres’ players Luis Rodriguez and Carlos Salcedo.
🚨Alan Cervantes will be rested this weekend vs Tigres and will be back as a starter in week 4 vs Chivas 🚨 https://t.co/mLW2IXzuZr
— Sorare Mexico (@SorareMexico) August 5, 2021
Moreover, Santos Laguna striker Eduardo Aguirre scored twice in five appearances for Mexico’s Under 23 side at it won the bronze medal at the Olympics. He could return to Liga MX action this weekend.
But the club’s midfielder Alan Cervantes will continue to be rested after his trip to the Gold Cup.
Tigres vs Santos Laguna Statistics
| 1 | Wins | 1 |
| 0 | Draws | 1 |
| 1 | Losses | 0 |
| 3 | Goals | 4 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 1 |
| 4 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 1 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
Certainly, it would seem that the impending return of Gignac to the Tigres line-up has influenced the oddsmakers.
At the age of 35, the striker has scored 149 goals in 261 appearances since joining the club in 2015.
He scored the winning goal as Tigres defeated MLS team Los Angeles FC in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League last December.
He was then an influential figure as Tigres reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in February in Qatar.
For those of you following along with @LigaBBVAMX, this will be a big deal:
Thauvin is set to make his debut and start for Tigres vs @ClubSantosEn 🤞 https://t.co/auyLzwN5kX
— SorareUSA 📈 (@SorareUsa) August 6, 2021
Gignac scored twice in the 2-1 defeat of Ulsan Hyundai and again in the 1-0 defeat of Palmeiras – before Tigres was finally beaten in the final by Bayern Munich.
So, emphatically, Gignac’s return would have a huge impact as his club side now host Santos Laguna.
Two-Goal Margin in Prospect?
With this prolific striker probably back in action and looking to make another big impact, the winning margin bet for Tigres to win by exactly two goals is attractive at +500.
Eventually, it is expected that Tigres will be one of the stronger sides in the Apertura as its focus turns fully towards Liga MX in the coming months.
https://youtu.be/IFMLsjeY1qw
However, Santos Laguna opened its Apertura campaign with a convincing 3-0 defeat of a poor Necaxa outfit.
The goals were delivered by Juan Otero, Jesus Zazueta and Diego Valdes.
There was subsequently a 1-1 draw with reigning Clausura champion Cruz Azul – with Valdes scoring a late penalty equalizer.
Likewise, Tigres opened the season with a win.
The team firstly succeeded 2-1 away against Club Tijuana with the goals delivered by Juan Vigon and Raymundo Fulgencio.
📸🇳🇬 Mr. Alessio Da Cruz 🇳🇱#ModoGuerrero ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/7mD6fQdln0
— Club Santos EN (@ClubSantosEn) August 6, 2021
Then, however, came a 3-1 defeat away at Toluca with Tigres’ only goal supplied by Guido Pizarro.
There was a 2-0 home win for Santos Laguna when it last met Tigres in the 2020-21 Clausura competition in January.
MEXICO WIN BRONZE IN MEN'S OLYMPIC FOOTBALL 🇲🇽
They beat Japan 3-1 to claim the medal #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/MxiK0pmW8Q
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 6, 2021
Before that, Tigres was a 2-0 winner at home against Santos Laguna in September last year.
To sum up, this could well be a draw. But it is worth taking a chance on the reliable Gignac to make an explosive return for Tigres and helping them to a two-goal win.
Pick: Tigres to Win By Exactly 2 Goals (+500)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
