Santos Laguna vs Atlante Liga MX Apertura 2026 Matchday 16 preview, Digi Mart USA News: Santos Laguna visits Atlante this Friday at Estadio Banorte in a crucial clash within Matchday 16 of the 2026 Apertura tournament of Liga MX. The Laguna side is looking to secure half a ticket to the Liguilla.
The Warriors face the Potros de Hierro again. Atlante has already been eliminated but wants to close the semester on a positive note and does not want to become a stepping stone in their rival’s ambitions.
Renato Paiva’s side arrives in eighth place in the overall table with 22 points, inside the qualification zone, after beating Necaxa 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Matías Espíndola in the 72nd minute. That result, combined with other outcomes, put them in a position where they can reach a playoff spot without difficulty if they win their final two matches, one of which is against a direct rival, León.
That is why winning these six points, starting this Friday against the Blue-and-Red side, is so important, as Santos cannot afford to lose. For this match, the Santos coach has more options to set up his side, and he is expected to make changes from the previous matchday, as the Portuguese coach has done in each game, based on the conditions he expects and the opponent.
Closing with dignity: in its first tournament since returning to Liga MX, Atlante, led by Miguel “Piojo” Herrera, arrives at this matchday in 16th place with 14 points. The capital club comes off a 4-2 home defeat to Chivas de Guadalajara, leaving them with only one home win in seven games played there.
With no chance of advancing, the Potros de Hierro are already thinking about the next tournament, but they are trying to climb as high as possible in the standings, so they will not be an easy opponent for the Albiverdes.
In previous meetings between these two sides, Santos Laguna has dominated. In their last five direct meetings in the top flight, Santos won every match, three of them away.
In 42 official matches, Santos has 23 wins to Atlante’s 12, with seven draws. Santos also holds a streak of 11 consecutive wins over the Blue-and-Red side.
An attractive match is expected, with the Laguna side looking to improve on their last two outings, which included lapses that led to a defeat in Tijuana and a struggle to get past Necaxa.
