Mexico vs Chile: Preview

By Oscar Suarez

Mexico vs Chile:
International Friendly.
Date: Thursday, 2 June 2016;
Kick-off: 4:00 GMT,
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium (California).

Mexico and Chile set for their final test ahead of the start of their Copa America Centenario campaign with an international friendly match at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California on Wednesday evening.

Mexico are on an excellent run of form and are unbeaten in their last 18 matches. El Tri’s newly appointed head-coach Juan Carlos Osorio who took them team from the reigns left by the excellent Miguel Herrera has guided the team to 6 wins in 6 matches. They haven’t let a goal in the last 7 matches they played.

Chile on the other hand are struggling under the tutelage of Juan Antonio Pizzi and he has failed to replicate the brilliance the team has shown under Jorge Sampaoli. Chile were beaten by Jamaica 2-1 in their first warm up match and without a doubt they were second best team on the field last Saturday. The La Roja have just one win in their last five matches and this is just last chance to get some momentum before heading to the final tournament in USA.

Mexico: Team News

Changes are hardly expected to the Mexican side who earned a deserved 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday evening.

A notable absentee will be Giovani dos Santos who is having a fine season with MLS club LA Galaxy. The former Barcelona and Villarreal forward is reported to have turned down the chance to play for the country.

But all eyes will be on Javier Hernandez, who has scored 17 goals in 28 matches for Bayer Leverkusen this season.

Mexico: Predicted Line-up (4-3-3)

Ochoa – Moreno, Marquez, Reyes, Aguilar – Guardado, Herrera, Pena – Jimenez, Hernandez, Peralta.

Chile: Team News

Arturo Vidal is set to return after missing in the 2-1 defeat against Jamaica due to fitness issue. Marcelo Diaz is also expected to start providing much needed stability in the midfield.

Edson Puch is pushing for a start on the back on his excellent performance in the 2-1 defeat against Jamaica after coming on as a substitute replacing Fabian Orellana in the 64th minute. The youngster Nicolas Castillo scrambled the only goal for Chile in Saturday’s defeat and he is also expected to start in the place of an ineffective Mauricio Pinilla.

Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is still out with an injury and Johnny Herrera is expected to continue on goal, with Cristopher Toselli also an option.

Chile: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)

Herrera – Beausejour, Jara, Medel, Isla – Vidal, Diaz – Alexis Sanchez, Puch, Fernandez – Castillo.

Mexico vs Chile: Head to Head stats

The teams had met on 13 previous occasions, with Mexico winning in 6 and drawing 4, while Chile winning in 3.

The latest meeting between the two sides was in last year’s Copa America, where they played out a thrilling 3-3 draw. Arturo Vidal was the star of the show with 2 goals and an assist, while Matias Vuoso scored twice for Mexico.

The last two meetings between the two sides end in draw, with Mexico winning the previous set them on a three match unbeaten run against Chile.

Mexico vs Chile: Prediction

Mexico are on red hot form and they are getting better with each game. They will be high on confidence and Juan Carlos Osorio will be keen to extend their winning streak ahead of the final tournament.

Chile, desperately need to win here after losing in three of their last four matches. Moreover, another bad result could shatter their morale and confidence before they kick off their group game against Argentina.

Chile’s recent problems lies in their inability to convert scoring chances, while they defense is not helping to the cause. Mexico on the other hand, have kept a clean sheet in 7 consecutive games and will be hard to break down. And with the likes of Chicharito and Peralta in their attacking front, Mexico are very likely to score at least 2 goals.

I expect Mexico to remain unbeaten and backing them to win or draw is a highly recommended bet for this friendly match.