As Mexico gets ready for the World Cup, Tata Martino will have two key things to figure out. First, there’s replacing Jesus Corona who will miss the World Cup after breaking his fibula. That leaves Martino with a choice for his starting lineup one that he hopes wil solve El Tri’s second issue, getting a struggling attack going. Martino hasn’t settled on a starting striker but he has confirmed that Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez won’t be included in his World Cup roster.
Vela ruled himself out of contention while Chicharito was keeping the door open but won’t be called up by his national team coach despite scoring 15 goals and assisting two more for the Los Angeles Galaxy this season. In Mexico’s last 10 matches, they’ve only scored multiple goals three times while relying on the defense to get the job done. But that won’t work at the World Cup in a group with Poland, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia.
Facing Peru, who just missed out on qualification for Qatar will be a good test for El Tri, especially in a stadium as historic as the Rose Bowl.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Sep. 24 | Time:9 p.m. ET
- Location: Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California
- TV: TUDN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
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Storylines
Mexico: Raul Jimenez will miss the game due to an injury which makes Martino’s choice at striker even more important as injuries mount for El Tri. Hirving Lozano has struggled for the national team but this would be an important time for him to step up as the team needs it. All eyes will be on Edson Alvarez as Peru has an attack that can give Mexico some worries so his role at the base of midfield will be important to keeping the match in control.
Peru: After missing the world cup due to a penalty shootout with Australia, Peru will still want to win every game against World Cup opposition to prepare for their next cycle of matches. Andre Carrillo and Christina Cueva will give Mexico’s defense some trouble Yoshimar Yotun will also be back in the fold to pace the attack.
Prediction
In a chippy match Mexico will eventually score a late winner as Peru pushes them to the brink. Pick: Mexico 2, Peru 1
KVSP