After a thrilling win over Uruguay in their opening match, Mexico will look to have a tighter grip of the top spot in Group C. Standing in their way is Jamaica, who are in desperate need of a victory to stay alive in the tournament. Read on for more about this mouth-watering matchup. You can also see our breakdown of Venezuela vs. Uruguay.
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Mexico will head to their crunch clash with Jamaica with momentum on their side after recording a convincing 3-1 win over Uruguay on Sunday. The highly-fancied Mexicans scored twice in the final five minutes to grab the all-important victory and in the process climb into first place in the Group C standings with three points to their name.
Mexico’s victory wouldn’t be possible without the heroics of their captain Rafael Marquez. The 37-year-old star showed why he is still an integral part of this squad, scoring the winner with an exquisite finish in the 85th minute. It’s not just his goal that was important to Mexico in this match but also his defensive awareness. Marquez is vital to Mexico’s playing system which utilizes a 3-4-3 diamond formation.
El Tri will need more of the same from Marquez if they are to beat Jamaica tonight. Thanks to Marquez’s energy in defense, the Mexicans were able to control 60.7 percent of the possession against Uruguay. That helped Mexico establish a 19-10 edge in shot attempts and a 7-3 advantage in the shots on target department against the Jamaicans.
The Mexicans are 9-1-0 in their last 10 matches. They are pegged at -550to score first in this match.
Jamaica’s Copa America stint is off to a horrible start after absorbing a shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of unheralded Venezuela on Sunday. It was a disappointing performance by Jamaica who entered the tournament with high hopes. They defeated Chile, 2-1, in a pre-tournament matchup, handing the defending tournament champs a rare loss on their home turf. The aggressiveness that they showed in that match was nowhere to be seen in their lackluster loss to Venezuela. The Jamaicans only had 37.5 percent of the possession in this contest and were outshot by the Venezuelans, 14-10.
It won’t get any easier for Jamaica tonight as standing in their way in their next match is powerhouse Mexico. The Mexicans have claimed victory in each of their past nine games while also avoiding defeat in each of their past 13 outings. El Tri have racked up an incredible eight clean sheets during their nine-match win streak.
Jamaica’s task against Mexico will be doubly harder as they will be without talented midfielder Austin. He will be suspended for this crunch clash after he received a red card in the 23rd minute against Venezuela. With Austin out, it’s crucial for goalkeeper Andre Blake to be solid at the back for Jamaica. The 25-year-old kept 10-man Jamaica within striking distance on Sunday with a string of good saves against Venezuela.
The Jamaicans will fancy their chances of stopping such a great offensive team as captain Wes Morgan will make his much-anticipated return to the starting lineup. The experience he gained during Leicester City’s dream Premier League run will be a major weapon for Jamaica. Morgan, in particular, needs to pay special attention to Javier Hernandez. Chicharito scored 17 goals for Bayer Leverkusen last season.
The Jamaicans are 2-1-2 in their last five games. They are pegged at +550to score first against Mexico.
