No win again for ‘El Tri’ against their arch-enemy?
Mexico vs USA is a top match in the World Cup qualifiers in North and Central America. The home side are in third place in the group, with the Yanks level on points just ahead of them.
At least third place is the goal for both teams, as it brings with it the last direct ticket to the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. In fourth place, they would instead have to play two more play-off matches against the winner from the Oceania qualifiers.
Mexico – Statistics & current form
Mexico have competed in the past seven World Cups. However, the respective finals always ended in the round of 16!
In the upcoming match, the home side will now rely on the home bonus: They have not yet lost any of their five home matches. On the other hand, they only managed a draw in the top matches against first-placed Canada and fifth-placed Costa Rica.
Jimenez to fix it in attack
On the offensive, hopes are pinned on Raul Jimenez. The Wolverhampton Premier League striker scored the decisive goal in the last match against Panama to win 1-0, albeit only from the penalty spot.
Jimenez is not yet as efficient as he was last season after a very serious injury, but he can still be described as the strongest weapon in “El Tri’s” attack.
For the clash between Mexico and the USA, bets on his next goal are therefore also worth considering.
The fact that his fellow striker Hirving Lozano, who otherwise plays for Napoli in Italy’s Serie A, has recently returned from injury is also a factor. For this reason, the 26-year-old is currently lacking match practice.
Martin has been more accurate before
Furthermore, Henry Martin, who like Jimenez has scored twice in the current qualifying campaign, has been in less than consistent form this season.
The attacker still scored 16 goals in the Liga MX jersey of Club America last season, but in the current edition of the Mexican top flight he is only on a slender four goals after 24 games.
Predicted Mexico line-up:
Ochoa – Araujo – Arteaga – Montes – Dominguez – Herrera – Guardado – Rodriguez – Vega – Jimenez – Lozano
Last matches played by Mexico:
World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Finals
02/03 2022 – Mexico 1 – 0 Panama
01/31 2022 – Mexico 0 – 0 Costa Rica
01/28 2022 – Jamaica 1 – 2 Mexico
Friendly match
12/09 2021 – Chile 2 – 2 Mexico
World Cup qualifier CONCACAF finals
11/17 2021 – Canada 2 – 1 Mexico
USA – Statistics & current form
USA will be relying heavily on Christian Pulisic of the Premier League Blues in the match. The Chelsea player only came on as a second-half substitute in their last head-to-head clash, but the former BVB player put his team on the winning track with a goal just five minutes later.
It was also the second game in a row against El Tri in which Pulisic scored. In view of this, the odds on him scoring another goal in the match between Mexico and the USA are even better.
McKennie has to pass
The home side, however, can be happy that Weston McKennie of Italian record champions Juventus will not be able to start.
The 23-year-old also scored in his last two outings against the Mexicans, but is now ruled out through injury. This means that Pulisic will be even more important than usual in the forward play.
However, coach Gregg Berhalter still has a powerful attacking player at his disposal in Ricardo Pepi.
The youngster, who is only 19 years old, moved from Dallas in the MLS to Augsburg in the German Bundesliga at the beginning of this year and has the best goal tally on the “Soccer Boys” side so far with three goals!
Predicted USA line-up:
Steffen – Robinson – Zimmerman – Yedlin – Adams – Musah – McKennie – Pepi – Aaronson – Pulisic – Weah
Last USA games:
World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Finals
02/03 2022 – USA 3 – 0 Honduras
01/30 2022 – Canada 2 – 0 USA
01/28 2022 – USA 1 – 0 El Salvador
Friendly match
12/19 2021 – USA 1 – 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
World Cup Qualifiers CONCACAF Finals
11/16 2021 – Jamaica 1 – 1 USA
Mexico – USA Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Mexico suffered a 2-0 away defeat in their last meeting with the 1920 World Cup bronze medallists last November. A well-deserved defeat, albeit one goal too high from an objective point of view.
As a result of the defeat, Argentine coach Gerardo Martino and his team have been waiting for their next victory for three matches now. Instead, they have suffered two particularly painful defeats in the final – both after extra time.
The US team won the Gold Cup 1-0 last year and the final of the newly created CONCACAF Nations League was also lost 3-2 in overtime by the hosts.
Mexico – USA United Tip
The hosts will be very motivated because, as described, they have accumulated several unpaid bills with their upcoming opponents due to the two defeats in the final last year.
For the duel between Mexico and the USA, however, the tip is for a draw. In terms of play, the visiting team can be considered slightly better, but this shortcoming is compensated for by the home advantage.
The Mexicans are still unbeaten at home, while the USA are much weaker away from home. They have won only one of their five guest matches so far in World Cup qualifying (1-2-2).
The visitors could also live well with a draw, which is why they will be more defensive.
With a draw, they would leave their immediate rivals behind and still have the chance to book a direct ticket to the next World Cup with a win at home against fourth-placed Panama on the penultimate matchday.
