It has been another busy summer for El Tri, who recently finished fourth at the Confederations Cup in Russia. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio decided to prioritise that tournament over the continental competition which gets under way this weekend, with Mexico’s star men – including the likes of Javier Hernandez, Hector Herrera, Hector Moreno, Andres Guardado, Raul Jimenez, Carlos Vela and the dos Santos brothers, Giovani and Jonathan – all taking part in the eight-team contest. As a result, the 10-time Gold Cup winners will be without many of their key players in the next few weeks, although their second-string squad still contains plenty of talent.
El Salvador are rank outsiders heading into this tournament, with 13 other CONCACAF sides ahead of them in the FIFA World Ranking. La Selecta will nevertheless be eyeing a place in the knockout rounds, either as Group C runners-up or as one of the two best third-placed teams, who will also make it through to the quarter-finals. Given Jamaica’s poor form of late and Curacao’s lack of quality, El Salvador are in with a decent chance of finishing second, although a heavy defeat in their opening fixture against Mexico could harm confidence and self-belief within the camp.
El Tri lined up in a 4-4-2 formation in a recent friendly win against Paraguay, although the Mexicans have made a habit of shifting between different shapes in the last few years. It is therefore still not clear how Osorio will set his team up in this game, but regardless of the system Mexico will look to dominate possession and play the majority of the match in their opponents’ half of the field. In terms of key players, Elias Hernandez will provide creativity from out wide and Hugo Ayala is a solid centre-half at the back.
El Salvador were beaten 3-0 by Ecuador in their warm-up encounter, with manager Eduardo Lara opting for a 4-4-1-1 formation. There will be an emphasis on keeping the team narrow and compact in the defensive phase of play, while their limited attacking opportunities will almost certainly come in the form of quick breaks forward whenever possession changes hands. Top scorer Rodolfo Zelaya will need to have his shooting boots on up top.
The question ahead of this one is not so much who will win as how wide Mexico’s margin of victory will be. That is not to denigrate El Salvador before they have even kicked a ball at the Gold Cup, but realistically it is difficult to see them being able to halt El Tri at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. A 3-0 win for the Mexicans is one option worth considering in the correct scoreline market, while a triumph to nil would be an alternative for those looking for a safer bet. As far as an anytime goalscorer is concerned, Mexico’s Rodolfo Pizarro would be a good choice.
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