Guadalajara – Santos: Chivas return home after a month away, with the schedule still shaping the table
Guadalajara – Santos arrives with an unusual backdrop: Chivas went a full month without playing a Liga MX match at Estadio Akron, a gap created by Mexican football scheduling and a postponed fixture that is still waiting to be played.
Why has Chivas gone a month without a Liga MX home game?
Chivas last played at home in Liga MX in Jornada 6 of the Clausura 2026, defeating América 1-0 in the Clásico Nacional on February 14 (ET). From there, three consecutive league commitments came away from Estadio Akron. Two of those were part of the original calendar: a trip for Jornada 7 to face Cruz Azul in Puebla at Estadio Cuauhtémoc, followed by Jornada 8 away to Toluca at Estadio Nemesio Diez.
The break became more significant ahead of Jornada 9. Chivas had originally been scheduled to host León at Estadio Akron on Tuesday March 3 or Wednesday March 4 (ET), but the match was postponed because a legends match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid had already been scheduled at the same venue on Tuesday March 3. The rescheduling was contemplated as far back as the calendar’s publication in December.
With that León match moved to Wednesday March 18 at night (ET), Chivas’ run away from “home” extended further. On Monday March 7 (ET), the club played Atlas in the Clásico Tapatío at Estadio Jalisco. Despite being listed as away, the game took place in the city of Guadalajara, limiting travel demands.
Guadalajara – Santos and the standings: what is at stake in Jornada 11?
At the end of Jornada 6, Chivas were league leaders with a perfect record: 18 points from 18 possible, holding a five-point advantage over Cruz Azul and Toluca. That position shifted after defeats to Cruz Azul and Toluca, results that ended the unbeaten run, ended the perfect start, and ceded first place to Cruz Azul.
Chivas then returned to winning form in the most recent weekend’s league action with a comeback victory over Atlas, winning 2-1 and reaching 21 points in the tournament. With a game in hand due to the postponed León match, Chivas enter Jornada 11 in third place, with the rearranged midweek fixture still positioned as a potential lever in the race near the top.
For Guadalajara – Santos specifically, both teams come in off victories. Chivas’ win over Atlas is paired in the same Jornada 11 build-up with Santos Laguna’s 2-1 away win over Xolos de Tijuana at Estadio Caliente. The match is scheduled for Saturday March 14 at Estadio Akron (ET).
The table permutations described around this week are narrow but consequential: if Chivas win on Saturday and also take three points in the midweek rescheduled match, they would draw level with Toluca on points—Toluca currently sit second—and move to within one point of Cruz Azul, provided both Toluca and Cruz Azul also win this weekend.
Team notes and the selection picture heading into Guadalajara – Santos
Chivas’ momentum is framed by recent results and coaching milestones cited in the pre-match build-up. After the 2-1 win over Atlas, head coach Gabriel Milito was credited with making history by winning four of his last four “Clásicos” played, including those against Club América. The last coach noted as having led Chivas to four consecutive wins in those rivalry fixtures was Efraín Flores, during a sequence spanning Clausura and Apertura 2008.
There is also a specific trend described for Santos when visiting Zapopan: the team from Torreón has not taken three points away on that ground since Apertura 2018. Over seven meetings across league play and Copa MX in that period, the same preview states Chivas hold the edge with five wins and two draws.
A proposed Chivas lineup for the match is presented in a 4-5-1 shape: Raúl Rangel; Richard Ledezma, Miguel Gómez, Diego Campillo, José Castillo, Bryan González; Roberto Alvarado, Rubén González, Omar Govea, Efraín Álvarez; Armando González.
In the near term, the central tension is less about narrative than calendar math: Chivas’ home return in Guadalajara – Santos comes while the postponed León match remains a live variable. The same scheduling disruption that kept Chivas away from Estadio Akron for a month could still influence how quickly the club can close ground near the top of the table.
