Mexico take on Uzbekistan in an international friendly at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday night.
It will be the first-ever time the two nations have squared off, with the match set to take place in Atlanta.
Match preview
© Reuters
Mexico head into the game on a very good run of form in all competitions, having won six, drawn one and lost one of their last eight games, during which time they won their 12th Gold Cup.
After progressing through a group containing Honduras, Haiti and Qatar, El Tri advanced past Costa Rica and Jamaica without conceding a goal, before just about managing to get over the line against Panama in the final.
Santiago Gimenez's 88th-minute goal was the difference between the two sides, although Jaime Lozano's side could have won by more, considering they dominated large periods of the match, recording seven shots on target.
After their triumph in the Gold Cup in July, Mexico returned to action against Australia last time out, but they were not at their best, having to overturn a two-goal deficit to earn a draw.
Raul Jimenez and Cesar Huerta were the goalscorers for El Tri, who will be hoping to sign off the international break with a victory on Tuesday against a side that struggled in their last match.
Indeed, Uzbekistan were on the receiving end of a defeat in their last encounter, although the odds were heavily stacked against them at CITYPARK, where they lost 3-0 against the USA.
However, the White Wolves were clearly able to make a game of it, considering they trailed by just one goal until stoppage time in the second half, when Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic found the back of the net for the hosts.
Srecko Katanec's side are now without a goal in their last two matches, but prior to their 1-0 loss against Iran they had been in solid form, winning 11, drawing two and losing one of their 14 previous games.
Uzbekistan will now be hoping to build some momentum ahead of their return to competitive action in November, when their World Cup qualification campaign begins with a trip to Turkmenistan.
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Gimenez has been in fantastic form for Feyenoord at club level, scoring five goals in his last three games, but it was not his night against Australia last time out, missing a penalty before being substituted.
Given that Jimenez scored after being brought off the bench, the striker could be rewarded with a start, while Huerta may replace Alexis Vega at left-wing, with the 22-year-old also finding the back of the net after being brought on in the second half.
Although the scoreline was ultimately disappointing, there are still positives for Uzbekistan to take out of their last match, and Katanec may choose to stick with large parts of the starting lineup.
Wing-backs Khojiakbar Alijonov and Farrukh Sayfiyev are likely to be handed more defensive roles, in what should be a 3-4-2-1 system, with captain and record goalscorer Eldor Shomurodov leading the line.
Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Araujo, Alvarez, Vasquez, Gallardo; Herrera, Romo, Pineda; Antuna, Jimenez, Huerta
Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Alikulov, Eshmurodov, Ashurmatov; Alijonov, Khamrobekov, Shukurov, Sayfiyev; Uronov, Masharipov, Shomurodov
We say: Mexico 3-0 Uzbekistan
In the end, the USA managed to record a comfortable victory over Uzbekistan, and Mexico should have no problem brushing them aside either.
Fresh off the back of winning their 12th Gold Cup, we expect the hosts to win Tuesday's game by a considerable margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
