World Cup Group F gets under way with the big showdown of the group between Mexico and Germany.
Both teams will be looking to progress and Germany are one of the favourites to win the whole thing, but the other sides in the group, Sweden and South Korea, will also think they have a realistic chance of making the knockout stages.
Mexico will want to qualify from their group for the seventh World Cup in a row, and to continue their run they will have to be at the top of their game, not just against Germany, but in the tricky matches against the other two.
The sides who have lost their opening games so far in the competition, especially Egypt and Morocco who fell to late goals, have slumped to the turf as if their tournament was already over.
Germany are odds-on favourites to win this opening game against Mexico, so Juan Carlos Osorio and his players shouldn’t get too downhearted, as Egypt and Morocco have done, if this happens.
On the flipside, this is a chance for Mexico to really make their mark on the competition right from the off. They should look at this game as an opportunity, rather than the the most difficult start they could have had. In reality, it’s both, but the mindset needs to be positive before and after the game regardless of the result.
A number of players in this Mexico team have been tipped to have good tournaments, not least Hirving Lozano who could see his profile skyrocket should he impress for his country as he has for his club, PSV, during the past season.
Lozano has been widely tipped as a “breakout” player, and what better way to prove that you are than by putting in a performance against the current World Champions which helps your team secure points in the opening game.
The winger will showcasing his skills against a host of higher profile names in the Germany ranks, and will be looking to outshine the likes of Marco Reus, Thomas Müller, Timo Werner, and Julian Draxler who look likely to start for Germany.
Should Mexico qualify from their group in second place, as is expected, they are likely to be involved in another high profile game against Brazil in the last sixteen. Their main aim is to finally get to the quarter-finals, and in order to get there the stars from whom much is expected will need to step up when it matters against two tournament favourites.
20-year-old Edson Álvarez could also come into the side against Germany, as Diego Reyes' withdrawal from the squad leads to a reshuffle in the back line. Carlos Salcedo is likely to move from right back to a more central role in the defence, leaving a space for young full-back Álvarez to come into the lineup.
Whether Osorio trusts the youngster in such a big game remains to be seen, but the Club América man already has 13 caps and started two of their three World Cup warm-up friendlies at right back.
World Cup group stages aren’t a sprint, but neither are they a marathon. A defeat for Mexico doesn’t mean their tournament is over, far from it, but it will mean they are under more pressure to get results against Sweden and South Korea.
However; if they pull out all the stops, if they can reorganise after losing Reyes, if Javier Hernández poaches a goal, and if Lozano shines; they could cause an upset out of the blocks.
