Mexico is on the cusp of taking the No. 1 spot in Group F for good. A tie with Sweden would secure them of that, but El Tri look to win and not just a draw with Sweden, who needs to earn three points in this match to keep their hopes alive of getting into the knockout stage.
El Tri needs one more point to close out any chances of them getting displaced out of the top two in the Group F standings. Mexico appears to be a team that is still feeding off a huge win over the defending World Cup champions, Germany, in the opening match. That 1-0 victory gave Mexico a momentum so big they continue to ride off of it to this day. Following that win, they took down South Korea, 2-1, last Saturday in a game in which El Tri dominated the control of the ball, having the possession of the ball 59 percent of the time. Mexico’s attack is very confident right now. They are dangerous when aggressive and just as potent when on the counter-attack, as evidenced by Javier Hernandez’s strike that gave Mexico the lead for good against South Korea. Having said that, Andres Guardado’s fine job in the midfield for Mexico should not at all be overlooked.
Betting on Sweden (+215)
Unlike Mexico, Sweden was not able to complete the job against Germany. After getting a 1-0 lead, the Swedes allowed Germany to score two goals, including the game-winner off of a free kick by Toni Kroos in extra time. Still, Sweden gave a chance to advance. For that to happen, they need to beat Mexico by as many goals as possible to beat the defending champions in a tie-breaker should it come down to that. With that said, it’s clear that the Swedes will have to play aggressively. Resorting to conservative tactics will limit their opportunities to score goals just as they did against Germany when Sweden only had 29 percent of the possession. Midfielder Viktor Claesson has fared well in Russia so far, and he’ll be relied upon to make smart plays again. He assisted on Ola Toivonen goal in Sweden’s 1-0 win over South Korea in the opener.
Writer’s Prediction
Mexico finishes the group stage with a 3-0-0 record by taking down Sweden, 1-0.
