Austin FC vs FC Juarez Prediction & Betting Tips - Leagues Cup

Prediction published on 28/07/2023, 15:33  by Joseph King | Modified on 29/07/2023 at 13:00 in Football Predictions

The final Group H match of the League Cup sees a must win scenario for bottom-placed FC Juarez as they take on second-place Austin FC. Juarez lost on penalties to group leaders Mazatlan in their first fixture of the competition. This leaves them on zero points and trailing their opponents today by one point. The Liga MX club will have to win this game in regulation time or earn a penalty shootout victory (awarded two points) in order to qualify as the second-place team. The Braves are experiencing a strong start to the 2023/24 Apertura season after a disastrous campaign in the previous Clausura where they finished 16th. So far this Liga MX season, Juarez have won two away matches and drew once at home, putting them in third-place early on. Although they lost on penalties to Mazatlan on Tuesday, the 1-1 result after 90 minutes means that FC Juarez are unbeaten in regulation time in their last four outings.

Austin FC have struggled for consistency in the 2023 MLS campaign following their superb, out-of-nowhere title challenge in 2022. However, they’ve started to pick up some good form as of late. Austin finished on a run of 13 points won from a possible 18 in MLS matches just prior to the start of the Leagues Cup. The Verde and Black suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Mazatlan in the opening fixture despite coming into the match as significant betting favorites. They’ll be at home in the Q2 Stadium again for this one and will be expected to respond with a strong performance. However, they will have to cope without star player Sebastian Driussi as it looks unlikely the Argentine will be available for this fixture. Driussi is influential to Austin FC and not having him in the side is a huge blow to their attacking potential.