Guatemala vs Mexico Prediction
Guatemala vs Mexico will meet this Wednesday after they both opened the Gold Cup with lackluster results.
HISTORY: Mexico leads the all-time series 22-13-6, and they’ve only lost once in the past 25 matches. Guatemala managed to steal a point on a draw in the 2015 Gold Cup, but Mexico defeated them 3-0 during a friendly last September.
Guatemala: Tale of the Tape
Form: D-D-W-L-L
Projected XI: Hagen; Hernandez,Pinto, Gordillo; Robles, Dominguez, Saravia, Ceballos; Arreola, Martinez, Betancourth
Guatemala enters as a familiar face in this tournament, but they’ve only advanced past the group stage twice in their last eight Gold Cup appearances. After falling to El Salvador in their first match, they sit at the bottom of Group A and need an improbable win against Mexico here to secure three points.
Interim head coach Rafael Loredo will line up in a 3-5-3 formation with Sabail keeping Nicholas Hagen in goal. Antigua’s Moises Hernandez will be joined by the Comunicaciones duo of Jose Pinto and Gerardo Gordillo in the back line. They’ve been solid so far this summer, only conceding goals in two out of six games this summer.
Guasatatoya’s Marco Dominguez, Com’s Rodrigo Saravia, and UdeG’s Marvin Ceballos bring experience and creativity to the midfield. Savaria and Ceballos will each be making their 25th cap, while the latter has scored six international goals. Defender Stheven Robles will play up in the formation and give Guatemala another attacker on the flanks. Guasatatoya’s Luis Martinez will be counted on for goal production, as he’s the only player in the squad with more than 7 goals. Antigua’s Jairo Arreola and Imperial’s Robin Betancourth will join him up front.
Mexico: Tale of the Tape
Form: L-D-W-W-D
Projected XI: Talavera; Rodriguez, Salcedo, Moreno, Gallardo; Alvarez, Herrera, Gutierrez; Corona, Funes Mori, Pulido
Despite opening with a draw to Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico enters the tournament in fantastic form. They’ve only dropped two of their last twenty three games dating back to 2019, and despite losing the Nations League Final to the United States, they enter the field as the favorites to win their record 12th Gold Cup trophy. A pair of exclusions from this year’s squad and an untimely injury could make things a bit tougher this time around.
Gerardo Martino will likely line up in a 4-3-3, but he won’t have the luxury of having long time keeper Guillermo Ochoa between the sticks. Ochoa won the Gold Cup Golden Glove Award during their last stint in the tournament, and he elected to represent Mexico at the Olympics this summer instead. Veteran Alfredo Tavera will get the start in goal, and he’s kept his last three sheets clean.
Hector Moreno will lead a strong backline that has only conceded a goal in one of their past five matches. The Monterrey centre back will be making his 113th cap and he’ll be joined by his club teammate Jesus Gallardo and the UANL duo of Luis Rodriguez and Carlos Salcedo.
Hector Herrera stars in the midfield for Mexico. The Atletico Madrid maestro scored twice in 4-0 victory over Nigeria, and with Hirving Lozano on the shelf, his goal-scoring prowess is needed more than ever. He’ll attract a lot of attention from the Guatemala defense, and this could dictate the outcome of this game. He’ll be joined by the youthful pairing of Ajax’ Edson Alvarez and PSV’s Erick Gutierrez.
Hirving Lozano’s absence will be felt in Mexico’s front line. The Napoli striker has emerged as the future of the Mexican national team, and he was the most reliable goal scorer named in the squad. After Lozano’s injury, the surprising exclusion of Javier Hernandez looks like a questionable decision. Chicharito has been phenomenal for LA Galaxy this season at age 33, netting five goals in seven matches and he surely could have helped this squad raise another trophy. Tartino will lean on the three man line of Sporting KC’s Alan Pulido, Porto’s Jesus Corona, and Monterrey’s Rogelio Funes Mori. Corona will be making his 52nd appearance, and Funes came on late and nearly gave Mexico the score they needed in their 0-0 draw with Trinidad and Tobago.
Player to Watch
Hector Herrera
Losing Lozano early against Trinidad and Tobago hindered the offense, but another big game from Herrera could be just what Mexico needs to get back on track here. Without Lozano or Chicharito, scoring won’t be as easy, but look for Herrara to leave his mark on this game.
Guatemala vs Mexico Prediction & Pick
Neither team walked away satisfied with the results from their first match. Mexico may be able to recover after failing to secure three points, but Guatemala may not get so lucky. With Trinidad and Tobago stealing a point, this makes this a must-win for Guatemala or they may be eliminated in group stages for the third straight time. Mexico’s missing pieces are alarming, but they still have enough to secure the three points here, as a young, inexperienced Guatemala squad is likely to give them much trouble. Bet on Mexico to win, take their halftime result, and over 1.5 goals.
