Puebla will host Monterrey on Wednesday, October 21, in jornada 13 of the Liga MX Apertura 2026, and the match lands with both clubs still chasing ground in the table. Monterrey is eighth and Puebla is 12th, with just one point between them heading into the game at Estadio Cuauhtémoc.
That narrow gap is why Puebla Vs Monterrey is drawing attention now: the meeting is tied directly to the fight for liguilla places, and there are only five dates left in the season. For Puebla, Kevin Velasco has not featured in the last five league matches because of a muscle issue, leaving Gerardo Espinoza with absences to manage even before the lineup is set.
Monterrey arrives with a cleaner disciplinary picture and no suspended players for jornada 13, but that does not mean the squad is fully settled. Uros Djurdjevic has not been called up for Monterrey's last two matches because of an ankle issue, and Íker Fimbres had muscle discomfort before the match against Pachuca and is expected not to play on Wednesday.
Matías Almeyda can use his full squad apart from the injured players, which underlines the difference between suspension and fitness. That is the friction inside this matchup: Monterrey can lean on depth, but it still carries two injury doubts into a game where every point matters and where Puebla cannot afford another step back at home.
The next test is straightforward. Puebla and Monterrey meet on Wednesday, October 21, and the result will matter immediately in a tight race where both La Franja and Rayados are trying to protect their place in the closing stretch.
