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Chivas will be missing three regular starters when it faces Necaxa on Saturday in the Mexican league.

The Guadalajara club has six points and shares first place with Pachuca, but will be without defender Aaron Galindo and forwards Alberto Medina and Carlos Ochoa for the match because they were called up by the national team to face the United States in a World Cup qualifier on Feb. 11.

Although the three are the only certain absentees, the list could lengthen if coach Efrain Flores decides to rest others ahead of a game against Argentine club Lanus on Wednesday in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

"The idea is to refresh the team and have competition between all the players," Flores said.

Another team affected by international commitments is America. The Eagles will have to make do without goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defender Juan Carlos Valenzuela and midfielder Pavel Pardo.

"Not having the Mexican internationals won't affect anything because the players who come in will do well," America defender Fernando Ortiz said. "We have to show them they are part of the squad and important at all times."

America, which has four points, is aiming to make a swift recovery against Pachuca after losing to Morelia last week. But despite failing to qualify for the Copa Libertadores, America coach Ramon Diaz's job appears safe.

"There is no deadline for the coach. There is a project in place and we want to get the best results," America president Michel Bauer said. "This is a project and the team has shown spirit. I think you can see that the raw materials are in place and that we are on the right track, although we still need to keep working and getting results."

Morelia faces a tough visit to Pumas, which lost to Toluca last time out.

"Losing is a hard blow, but we must not worry," Pumas striker Juan Carlos Cacho said. "We have to focus on making up for our mistakes in order to correct things against Morelia."

Another team looking to overcome a setback is Cruz Azul, which lost to Tecos last week and now hosts a Tigres side badly in need of points to escape the threat of relegation.

"As time passes, the team will have to show much more, because there is no limit to what this team can achieve," Cruz Azul coach Benjamin Galindo said.

The fourth round kicks off Friday with Monterrey's trip to Tecos. Also, it's: San Luis vs. Atlas; Atlante vs. Jaguares; Puebla vs. Toluca; and Ciudad Juarez vs. Santos