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Mexico had odds of nearly 86-1 to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup as of Tuesday June 17 and there might be some terrific value here all things considered.
We should see this price slashed following their impressive performance against host nation and favorites Brazil on Tuesday.
Mexico gained the point in this 0-0 draw. Mexico goalkeeper Francisco Ochoa made a series of terrific saves that prevented Brazil from scoring in this matchup.
The result leaves both sides on four points in the group, with one game each left to play.
Mexico was initially pegged to win the second spot coming out of Group A. Their early odds of winning the group were set at just shy of 10-1.
Strengths
El Tri has always been known as a team that likes to push forward and attack, and they do have a solid group of strikers. However, their strength this time around might come in their defense, which features three players with 100 caps or more. Francisco Rodriguez, who played the most of any defender in the qualifying stage, has 92, so he is getting there. Rafa Marquez is well known from his time at Barcelona, where he won the Champions League and at 35, he realizes this is his last chance for glory with his country. Even No. 1 keeper Jose de Jesus Corona has just 33 caps but he is 33-years-old and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the moment.
That said, Mexico has a very good group of strikers such as Javier Hernandez, who had a terrible club campaign for Manchester United, but he should use that as motivation. Oribe Peralta and Alan Pulido both had four goals in qualifying, so they’ll be pushing for starting roles and don’t forget about Giovani dos Santos.
Weaknesses
Mexico has a very young midfield where the most experienced player is Carlos Pena with 14 caps, and their trio of probable starting midfielders (Pena, Hector Herrera and Marco Fabian) are all 24-years-old. This will either work out well for Mexico, or go very, very wrong, depending on how they handle the pressure of the World Cup.
El Tri also plays a 5-3-2 formation, which allows the wingbacks to push forward, but if they are over aggressive, the opposition can dominate down the wings, so the defenders will have to watch out. Not many teams can get away with playing this formation on a regular basis, so don’t be surprised if Mexico changes things up.
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- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
