Last Updated on April 17, 2026 8:45 pm by ZUWP Automation
Zero wins in five for the hosts, just one in five for the visitors — Sunday’s Liga MX clash is a meeting of two sides searching for answers
Santos Laguna have not won a match since February. Three draws and two defeats in their last five outings have left the Guerreros stalled, and their Estadio Nuevo Corona fortress has produced precisely nothing in recent weeks: two goalless home draws, a defeat to Cruz Azul on their own pitch. Atlas arrive in Torreón carrying their own baggage, with just one win in five and a forward line that has mustered a single goal across their last four matches. When two sides this short of confidence meet, the result is rarely predictable.
Match Details
- Fixture: Santos Laguna vs Atlas
- Venue: Estadio Nuevo Corona
- Date: 19 April 2026
- Competition: Liga MX 2025/26
Form: Stalemates, Slumps and Fragile Confidence
Santos Laguna’s recent form makes for uncomfortable reading: 0W 3D 2L in their last five. The sequence tells the story of a side that has largely stopped losing badly but cannot find a way to win. Back-to-back goalless draws at home against América and Puebla were followed by a 1-2 defeat away at Pachuca, a result that underlined how quickly Santos’s fragile momentum can unravel on the road. Their only goals across the entire run came in a 2-2 draw at Querétaro in late February.
Atlas are marginally better placed on paper, recording 1W 2D 2L in their last five, but the substance behind that record is thin. Their sole victory was a 1-0 home win over Guadalajara in March. Since then: a 0-1 loss at León, a goalless draw at Toluca, and a goalless draw at home to Monterrey most recently. Atlas have scored once in their last four matches. That is not a side carrying confidence into a fixture they need to win.
The shared thread between these two sides is a near-total inability to create and convert. Santos have kept the ball out reasonably well at home, but Carlos Acevedo, ranked 5th in the league with 24 saves, has been kept busy enough to suggest defensive security is not the issue. The problem is at the other end.
Key Players to Watch
Santos Laguna
Ezequiel Bullaude carries Santos’s attacking hopes most visibly. The midfielder has three goals in six appearances this season, ranking him 8th in the Liga MX scoring charts, and his shot volume backs it up: nine attempts, five on target, with four key passes alongside nine tackles showing a player who contributes across the pitch. With an average rating of 6.89, he is Santos’s most consistent performer and the player most likely to break the deadlock if it comes.
Lucas Di Yorio offers a different dimension up front. The forward has two goals and two assists in five starts, and his 16 shots across those appearances, nine of which were on target, suggest a striker who gets into dangerous positions regularly. Six key passes in 442 minutes shows he contributes beyond just finishing. Di Yorio is the focal point of whatever Santos can generate offensively.
Atlas
Diego González is the player Atlas need to find form. Across six appearances he has registered 19 shots and 14 key passes, both figures that stand out in the context of this squad. One goal from that volume of activity points to poor conversion, but the creative output is real: he is generating chances for others even when not finishing himself. If Atlas are to find a way through Santos’s compact home shape, González is the most likely source.
Defensively, Manuel Capasso has been Atlas’s most reliable outfield performer, averaging 7.12 across six full starts. Sixteen tackles and 249 passes from centre-back reflect a player who sets the tempo from deep. His ability to win duels and circulate the ball efficiently will be central to how Atlas build any sustained pressure at Nuevo Corona.
Season Stats Comparison
The individual rankings tell a stark story about the gap in attacking output between these two sides. Bullaude’s three goals place Santos in a far stronger position than Atlas, whose leading scorer Agustín Rodríguez has just one goal and ranks 98th out of 98 scorers in the division. That is not a typo: Atlas’s top scorer sits bottom of the league’s scoring charts. It is the single most damning number in this fixture preview.
| Stat | Santos Laguna | Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Ezequiel Bullaude (3 goals, 8th in league) | Agustín Rodríguez (1 goal, 98th in league) |
| Top Assister | Lucas Di Yorio (2 assists, 13th in league) | Luis Gamboa (1 assist, 54th in league) |
| Top Goalkeeper (saves) | Carlos Acevedo (24 saves, 5th in league) | Camilo Vargas (19 saves, 9th in league) |
Acevedo’s save count also deserves context: 24 saves in six matches means Santos have been under consistent pressure. The question is whether the side in front of him can generate enough going forward to take the burden off their goalkeeper.
What the Bookmakers Say
The market reflects the uncertainty surrounding both sides. Santos Laguna are marginal home favourites at around +150 implied (roughly 40% implied probability), with Atlas at approximately +163 (38%). The draw is priced at around +255 to +260, implying a roughly 28% chance of a stalemate. Given the frequency of goalless draws in both sides’ recent records, those draw odds are worth noting. The over/under line has moved down from 2.75 to 2.625 goals, with the market leaning slightly toward a low-scoring affair.
Closing Paragraph
Two sides without a win between them since early March, meeting at a ground where Santos have drawn their last two home matches without scoring. Atlas’s attacking output is the worst in the division by the numbers, and Santos’s own forward line has been fitful at best. The one question this match will answer is a simple but loaded one: which side has the will and the quality to break a pattern that is quietly strangling both of their seasons? Bullaude and Di Yorio against a defence anchored by Capasso, Atlas’s creative engine González searching for a first meaningful contribution in weeks. The form says caution. The stakes demand something more.
