Cruz Azul vs Leónpredicted line-ups, prediction and how to watch

Predicted line-ups, prediction and how to watch for Cruz Azul vs León: everything you need to know before the game.

Cruz Azul host León at the Estadio Banorte on Sunday, November 1 (7.10pm Mexico City time) in Matchday 15 of the Liga MX Apertura 2026.

La Máquina sit third on 26 points, while La Fiera are sixth on 22 and looking to close in on the top four.

Match preview

Cruz Azul come into this fixture in strong form. They have won their last three league games, beating Querétaro 3-1 away, Pachuca 2-1 away and Juárez 5-0 at home. Before that run, they drew 3-3 with Pumas.

Across those four league matches, La Máquina scored 13 goals and conceded five. With 26 points and a goal difference of +9, they are third in an 18-team table and still have an eye on top spot.

At home, Cruz Azul have won four, drawn one and lost two of their seven matches, scoring 17 and conceding 12. Their away record is identical, so the venue has made little difference to them.

Nicolás Ibáñez and G. Fernández lead the scoring with five goals each. Andrés Montaño is also in his best spell, with four goals in the tournament and several key assists.

León arrive with more mixed results. They drew 1-1 with Toluca, won 2-0 at Tigres, lost 3-5 to América, drew 1-1 at Puebla and beat Juárez 2-1. The defeat to América was their most open game of the past month.

La Fiera have won six, drawn four and lost four, with 21 goals for and 18 against. On the road they have won two, drawn three and lost two, scoring eight and conceding eight. J. Alvarado is their top scorer with five.

The head-to-head record favours the hosts. Cruz Azul have won four of the last five meetings, including a 4-1 victory in July 2025. León won the most recent clash 2-1 in January 2026.

The stakes are clear. This is the third-to-last round of the regular season, and Cruz Azul want to get closer to the summit, where América and Chivas are also in the race. León are sixth, two points clear of Monterrey and others chasing a top-eight place. A win, plus other results going their way, could lift them to fourth.

The referee will be Jesús Rafael López Valle.

Team news

Cruz Azul have no suspensions. Willer Ditta remains out with a foot injury and is being managed with the Liguilla in mind. Amaury Morales (cruciate ligament), Mateo Levy (meniscus) and Cristian Jiménez (cruciate ligament) will miss the rest of the tournament.

There are returns. José Paradela is available after shaking off a muscle problem, and Ralph Orquin can also be considered. Gonzalo Piovi, Carlos Rotondi and Amaury García have recovered in recent weeks. Joel Huiqui is expected to keep the core of the side that beat Querétaro.

León's injury list is short, with Luis Valadez still dealing with a foot problem. Their coach is expected to repeat the XI that faced Toluca.

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