Brazil vs Mexico
The knockout games of the World Cup 2018 are finally underway, and we are already treated to a fantastic result. Lionel Messi may have played his final international game after Argentina spectacularly failed against a red-hot Kylian Mbappe.
However, The France-Argentina game isn’t the only World Cup 2018 game worth a watch for many neutral football fans. Mexico will face Brazil next, and this match promises equal amounts of action and goals!
Brazil will be coming into the match as overwhelming favourites. Not only did the Canarinha top a rather challenging Group E, they also have the likes of Neymar, Coutinho and Roberto Firmino ready to smack some goals in.
However, I don’t think Mexico will just lay around and let the squad favoured by many World Cup 2018 predictions make the quarter-finals without breaking a sweat. El Tri have played a fantastic World Cup and will look to impress.
It’s very likely that Brazil will make it through this match, but this year’s World Cup has been an underdog’s tournament. I honestly won’t be surprised if the Brazilians join the Argentines in returning to South America empty-handed.
Talking Points
This game doesn’t lag behind the other knockout games when it comes to the quality of World Cup 2018 news available. There are interesting things to talk about in the lead-up to this all-important clash.
Mexico had an interesting tumble during the group stage. They started off strong and held a strong but very disappointing German side to a very impressive 1-0 victory. They followed their performance with a strong 2-0 win against Korea Republic.
Many of the El Tri faithful broke into nervous sweats when Sweden mowed the pitch with their squad. Fortunately for them, the Taegeuk Warriors pulled off a most remarkable upset that sent them to the knockout stages. Mexicans were so happy that they reached out to the Korean ambassador to Mexico and made him drink tequila while lifting him on their shoulders.
Hirving Lozano, Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez have performed brilliantly for Mexico, and Juan Osorio will definitely be counting on these three to push the tempo of the Mexican offence in the hopes of pulling off another brilliant upset out of their sombreros.
However, they know that the Samba Boys are anything but an easy challenge. Tite has a plethora of outstanding stars that can match them on every attack they will attempt. Neymar is still the man to beware among the Brazilian yellow, but Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho, Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino can also pull goals for Brazil.
Mexico captain Andres Guardado knows the threat Neymar poses and will surely make him a defensive priority for the Mexicans. However, he threw barbs his way, criticising the star’s tendency to excessively sell fouls. He believes that the VAR (Video Assistant Referees) will help make things fairer in their favour.
If they can contain Neymar to limited runs with his touches, Mexico would have nullified a great Brazilian weapon. However, the trickiness of the Brazilians doesn’t end with Neymar. If they cannot stop the rest of the Canarinha and mount dangerous counters of their own, they might as well book their tickets back home at the most convenient time.
While the stigma of losing 7-1 to Germany is still hard to erase, it’s hard to deny that Brazil still have a very outstanding group. They are still the team to beat in this World Cup.
History
These two countries have faced each other 40 times since first meeting in 1950, and Brazil won 23 of those engagements. The Canarinha‘s most recent victory over El Tri was a comfortable 2-0 in 2015, wherein Philippe Coutinho and Diego Tardelli settled the game in the first half.
However, the most recent results don’t show how well Mexico have performed against Brazil as of late. Their last World Cup meeting was in 2014 in the group stage. The Mexicans managed to hold Brazil to a scoreless draw despite strong attacking from the hosts and a very hostile crowd at Estadio Castelao.
Mexico will be hoping to end their winless streak against the South American juggernauts, and a win here would be a great morale boost for their World Cup aspirations. They have a better chance with Osorio, who has a good grasp of Brazilian football during his stint in the country.
However, his knowledge of the Brazilian game would amount to nothing if Lozano, Vela and Chicharito do not convert their attacks to goals.
What are the odds?
SBOBET has interesting betting odds on offer for this game, especially if you believe in a grand Mexican upset.
Brazil are justifiably the giant favourites, with their 1X2 odds only amounting to 1.50. If you believe in a 2-0 result in favour of the Canarinha, a -1.25 Asian Handicap comes with 2.21 odds.
However, It’s not bad to hope for a giant killing to happen in this place. Mexico 1X2 is at a whopping 6.80. However, I think El Tri will be able to steal a brilliant goal in the first half before falling gloriously against a raging Brazilian comeback. Mexico’s First Half 1X2 odds of 5.20 is also an attractive option.
With both teams showing brilliant attacking football, it wouldn’t be hard to see goals coming here in bunches. Over 2.75 Goals is an attractive choice at 2.38.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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