Germany
vs.
Mexico
Match Preview
By: Jason Green
Date: Saturday June 16th
Match Odds: Germany -205 / Mexico +600 / Draw +325
Over/Under: 2.5 goals
Mexico has made it to the knockout stage of the last six World Cup Tournaments, but they head into this match as big underdogs. No surprise there facing Germany, who won the last World Cup and is the top ranked team in the world according to FIFA.
These teams met last year in the Confederations Cup with Germany whipping Mexico beating them 4-1 where they scored two goals in the first eight minutes of the match. They have met each other 11 times with Germany only losing once winning six times and Four have ended in a draw.
The Germans are simply loaded all over the pitch and they have one of the best midfields in the Tournament. A couple of Bayern Munich players anchor the solid defense with GK Manuel Neuer and DF Jerome Boateng. In their last five friendlies they only allowed more than one goals one time and that was against a solid France team, which ended in a 2-2 draw. They lost to Brazil 1-0 and played to a 1-1 draw facing Spain so the Germans will be ready in Russia playing a tough friendly Schedule.
Toni Kroos is one of the best midfielders in the world and paired with Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira Germany is loaded in the middle of the pitch. They will look to really push the envelope to get the ball to their strikers, especially Thomas Müller, who is a veteran of the national squad, won the Golden Boot in the 2010 World Cup, and scored five goals in the last World Cup, which Germany won.
No team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 have repeated as World Cup champions and Germany looks to accomplish that feat in Russia. They have the best odds to win Group F and also have the 2nd best odds to win the whole Tournament after Brazil.
Javier Hernández of West Ham and Hirving Lozano of PSV are the main two attackers up front for Mexico and they will be counted on to crack the tough German defense. One glaring concern for El Tri is that they are not very strong in the midfield and Porto’s Hector Herrera has to play well in this match. Mexico cannot allow Germany to dominate the time of possession and they also have to push forward when they are presented with counter-attack opportunities.
The Mexican defense is a good one, but they did give up two goals in losing 2-0 to Denmark in their last friendly match. Overall, the squad has a lot of pace, which must be used in this match facing a better tactical squad in Germany.
Last Three Matches
Germany
3/03/18 Germany 0 Brazil 1 (Friendly)
6/2/18 Austria 2 Germany 1 (Friendly)
6/8/18 Germany 2 Saudi Arabia 1 (Friendly)
Mexico
5/29/18 Mexico Wales 0 (Friendly)
6/3/18 Mexico 1 SCotland 0 (Friendly)
6/9/18 Denmark 2 Mexico 0 (Friendly)
Prediction: Germany is ready for a repeat as World Cup champions and they will begin that quest facing Mexico in what should be their biggest test in group play. Mexico’s midfield issues will be big in this match and the Germans will take advantage of that, big time, in this match. Mexico will put up a good front for a while, but the overall talent from the German squad will be too much. Look for Germany to win this match 2-0 or 3-0 taking three points and getting off to a great start in their quest to repeat as World Cup champions.