Querétaro will host Cruz Azul on Sunday, October 25, with Santiago Homenchenko ruled out and Paulo Víctor still a doubt for a match that now carries extra weight for both clubs. The visitors arrive after two straight wins, while Querétaro needs a response after sliding to eighth in the standings.
That is why the search is centered on Querétaro Vs Cruz Azul now: one side is trying to steady itself after a bad week, and the other is still pressing near the top. Cruz Azul is third with 23 points and a plus-7 goal difference, while Chivas also has 23 points but sits above it on a plus-8 mark. América is four points ahead, so every result at this stage can shift the race for the upper places.
Querétaro’s problems are not just mathematical. It lost 2-1 to San Luis in the Clásico de la 57 during the week, with Daniel Parra scoring an own goal and Alí Ávila providing Querétaro’s answer. That followed a spell in which it had spent much of the semester inside Liguilla places, a position that now looks less secure after two straight losses.
Homenchenko’s absence is the sharpest blow. He suffered a fractured hand that required surgery, and the latest outlook points to him missing the rest of the championship. For a team already under pressure, that is not simply one player out. It removes a reference point from a side that needs stability before the playoff picture tightens again.
Cruz Azul, meanwhile, has moved into the trip with momentum. It beat Pachuca 2-1 during the week, with Gabriel Fernández and Andrés Montaño scoring, and it already knows what a close game with Querétaro can look like after the last meeting ended 1-1 at Estadio Corregidora. Jéremy Márquez put Cruz Azul ahead in that match before scoring an own goal, a reminder that this pairing can turn quickly.
The unanswered part is Paulo Víctor. If he is fit, Querétaro at least keeps some attacking depth for a game it cannot treat like a routine home date. If he is not, the burden falls even more heavily on a side trying to stop a slide that has already pulled it out of the comfort of the Liguilla spots. Sunday will not decide the championship, but for Querétaro it may decide how much room is left to recover.
