Despite securing a 2–0 away win over León, last night’s match may have been one of the final games for Martin Demichelis as head coach of Rayados de Monterrey. In fact, a loss against Pachuca in the Liga MX "play-in" could seal his fate and open the door for Julen Lopetegui, who managed Real Madrid in 2018, to take over the team and begin preparing for the Club World Cup.

Demichelis is on the hot seat in Monterrey

This information was reported by TUDN, through journalist David Faitelson, just hours before the match against Club León. In fact, he stated that Martín Demichelis’ departure from Rayados de Monterrey is already set for the end of the Clausura 2025, at which point Julen Lopetegui would take over. Demichelis, however, limited himself to reaffirming his role as Monterrey’s head coach after the win against León.

"Where are the rumors? They’re just rumors, I’m not going to worry about rumors. There are tons of rumors in the world, and honestly, if it doesn’t concern me—if it’s external and out of my reach—then it’s not my business," said Martín Demichelis. "Life is now. I’m very happy where I am, giving my all to the club and the players. You’ve already seen we’ve played some important matches… I don’t live off rumors; I live off facts. Anything hypothetical doesn’t help me, and I don’t get tangled up in that kind of stuff," he concluded.

Sergio Ramos could miss the play-in match against Pachuca

Regardless, everything points to Martín Demichelis being on his way out and, unless there’s an unexpected twist, he will not be coaching Monterrey in the upcoming Club World Cup. His spot would be taken by Julen Lopetegui, who would reunite with familiar faces from his time in Spanish football like Corona, Lucas Ocampos, Oliver Torres, and Sergio Ramos, who raised concerns after leaving injured late in the match against León.

With under 20 minutes remaining and Rayados up 2–0, Sergio Ramos began to feel slight discomfort in the back of his right thigh and, although he tried to continue, he quickly asked to be subbed out. He was able to walk off the field on his own and didn’t appear overly concerned. However, his availability for the Pachuca play-in match in Liga MX is in serious doubt.