Liga MX 2022 Clauaura match preview: Santos Laguna vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro

Game: Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. vs. Querétaro Fútbol Club

Date: Saturday, April 16th

Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 12:00 a.m. UTC

Venue: Estadio Corona TSM (Torreón, Coah.)

Referees: REF: César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos, AR1: Miguel Ángel Hernández Paredes, AR2: Michel Caballero Galicia, 4TH: Abraham De Jesús Quirarte Contreras, VAR: Victor Alfonso Caceres Hernandez, AVAR: Juan Joel Rangel Maya

Television: United States – FOX Deportes Network; Mexico – TUDN

Streaming: fuboTV (Subscription), FOX Sports app,, Vidgo (Subscription)

All-time record: Santos holds the edge all time over all competitions, winning 21 to Querétaro’s 13 with the clubs drawing 12 times. They’ve only met three times outside of Liga MX play, with each team winning once and the clubs drawing once in Copa MX play. The last time the clubs met, Santos beat Querétaro 3-2 in La Corregidora on October 30, 2021. Santos got a brace from Ayrton Preciado and a goal from Diego Valdés, while Querétaro got goals from Bryan Oilvera and Jonathan Dos Santos. The last time they met in Torreón, Santos won 5-0 in the repechaje round of the 2021 Clausura. Santos got two goals from Eduardo “Mudo” Aguirre while Fernando Gorriarán, Ayrton Preciado, and Diego Valdés each contributed a goal in the rout.

Photo by Armando Marin/Jam Media/Getty Images

After a disappointing loss in Monterrey to Rayados, Santos returns home to host Querétaro, who are dangerously close to being out of the postseason. Santos got their second loss under coach Eduardo Fentanes, also suffering a 1-0 loss to Chivas in Week 9. Santos are 4-1-2 since Fentanes took over in Week 7, and has won all three gams in Torreón by a combined score line of 10-3.

Santos has again struck gold, bringing in Harold Preciado ahead of the season. Since coming in from Deportivo Cali in Week 4, Preciado has scored six of Santos’ 20 goals of the season and has added a bit of grit up top, taking the pressure off of Eduardo Aguirre and Brian Lozano to score goals.

Defensively, Santos has been one of the better teams over the Fentanes era. They’ve allowed just eight goals in the seven game stretch, and while Carlos Acevedo is still making phenomenal saves, he’s not being called on as often to do so. They’ve struck a balance between the two sides of the ball and are a better team for it.

Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

Querétaro meanwhile comes in four points out of the repechaje with just four games left. Since the riots, Querétaro has lost two, won one, and drawn one while remaining well out of the playoffs in 16th place. While Querétaro is playing well defensively, their offense has let them down a lot this season. Gallos have conceded 17 goals, which is 12th in the league and equal with Tijuana and one more than América and Pumas.

They’ve only scored 11 goals, with only last place Juárez scoring fewer. Of their five losses, two were by one goal and one was the 3-0 forfeit in the wake of the riot. They’ve also drawn six games, meaning that in eight games this season one goal more would have given them more much needed points.

Querétaro have been struggling and Santos is tough at home, which means these are the perfect conditions for a trap game for Santos. They’ll need to focus on this match, moving on from the loss last week and not thinking about the playoff standings. Santos is just one point out, and a win would go a long way for ensuring they’re playing more than just one game in May.