When will Sergio Canales make his debut for Monterrey? Will he play in the Leagues Cup against Seattle Sounders?

Monterrey are due to play against Seattle Sounders in the 2023 Leagues Cup later on Sunday but they will have to do so without former Real Madrid midfielder Sergio Canales, who joined the Liga MX club earlier this month.

When will Canales play his first game for Rayados?

Rayados boss Fernando Ortiz has revealed that red tape means the Spaniard’s debut for his new side will have to wait a little longer. “Sergio has already started training with us but he’s not eligible to play yet so he won’t feature [on Sunday]. He’ll probably be available next week.

“If we make it through to the knockout stages, he might be able to play then but Sergio also knows that it he’s going to play then he’ll have to earn his place in the team, just like the rest of his teammates”, said Ortiz.

The Leagues Cup 2023 knockout stages will take place between 2 August and 19 August.

Rodrigo Aguirre out for two weeks

Monterrey have revealed, meanwhile, that Uruguayan forward Rodrigo Aguirre will be out of action for at least a couple of weeks after the injured he suffered against Real Salt Lake was found to be more serious than first thought.

What do Monterrey need to qualify for the Leagues Cup knockout rounds?

The Leagues Cup group West 2 clash between Rayados and the Sounders will take place on Sunday 30 July, with kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Mexican side will qualify for the round of 32 as long as they avoid losing by four goals or more.

A 3-0 loss would see both teams, along with Real Salt Lake, end the group with identical records (three points, three goals scored, three goals conceded) and the clubs’ fair play records would then be used to decide which team finishes bottom and is eliminated.

Were Monterrey to lose by three goals but find the net at least once (i.e. 1-4, 2-5, 3-6), they would go through by virtue of having scored more goals than Real Salt Lake.