It all comes down to this…

Oribe will look to boost Mexico into the round of 16 (Getty)

Mexico has fought its way to 2nd in Group A, sitting with Brazil at 4 points. Come Monday, Mexico will face 3rd in the Group, Croatia, in a do or die match.

Croatia is coming off a 4-0 thrashing of Cameroon. However, the scoreline is a bit deceptive to the eye, as Cameroon gave up three goals after Song received a red-card in the first half.

Brazil is all but through to the knockouts, which means its a battle for the round of 16 between Mexico and Croatia. It makes things a little bit easier for Mexico as they only need a tie to advance, and Croatia must win to advance. Though don’t think for a second that Piojo as instilled a “lets just tie” mentality into the minds of El Tri.

Croatia is a very talented side, especially with Mandzukic returning. Yet, they do lack speed and condition in the defense. During the match against  Cameroon, the Croatians were doing their best to find breaks in the match, and Recife doesn’t project cool and calm weather. It will be muggy and hard on the endurance, which should favor Mexico.

It should also be noted that Croatia has been making some fairly overconfident comments heading into the match. Modric claimed that Mexico is not at the level of Croatia, and that Ochoa is not as good as people are claiming.

The manager of Croatia has also made statements saying that Mexico has been figured out, and that they should claim the three points without problem.

Big words have been said, but on Monday, it all goes down on the pitch. This is the time when Mexico can show that they aren’t here by accident.

Vamos México!

Mexico 0, Brazil 0: Memo-rable

Ochoa saves a shot from Neymar(Credit via Twitter.com)

Mexico and Brazil drew nil-nil in Fortaleza, Brazil during their respective second game of the World Cup.

Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa helped keep the home team from scoring and earned Mexico a valuable point.

Breaking down El Tri’s World Cup group

Mandžukić and Croatia will look to cause problems against Mexico in the final match of group play (Getty)

 

On December 6th, the world watched as the draw was made for the FIFA World Cup. Mexico was drawn into a difficult group with Cameroon, Brazil (Host), and Croatia. However, at the end of the draw, Mexico looks to have the best chance to advance from their group as a CONCACAF representative. Moreover, Mexico’s group might be just the right balance of comfort and difficulty to make a run in 2014.

Cameroon:

Currently ranked 59th in the FIFA rankings, Cameroon is Mexico’s first foe in the World Cup. Cameroon qualified fairly easily, but has had some suspect results in 2013. In the 2014 Africa cup of Nation’s qualification, Cameroon has lost to both the Congo and Gabon. It is hard to gage how powerful Cameroon will be but they will be lead by Samuel Eto’o. However, with a lack of marquee victories, Mexico shouldn’t feel overly intimated facing Cameroon, but also shouldn’t believe it will be a walk in the park.

Brazil:

Well…they are the dreaded top dog of the group. Mexico had been in Brazil’s group for the 2013 Confederations Cup and lost 0-2. Brazil would go on to win the Confederations Cup with a 3-0 victory over Spain. This will be a very difficult game for El Tri, but that doesn’t mean points are impossible. In their matchup in 2013, Brazil scored early and Mexico missed several opportunities to tie it up. Brazil’s second goal came on a defensive error and late in the game. Moreover, the Mexico side was at the time, in an ugly rut. A motivated Mexico can still fight for a positive result, and El Tri has had excellent matches against Brazil over the past few years. Brazil’s coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, even called Brazil vs Mexico a “classico,” so expect a target on Mexico’s back. That being said, this should be the most anticipated match of Group A.

Croatia:

A Top-20 side, Croatia has a very talented team in this group. Being the final rival for Mexico in group play means that these two could be fighting for the second spot to advance. Lead by big names like Srna and Mandžukić, Croatia are a quality European side. Expect this match to be a very physical one, which means it could all come down to one goal. Croatia may even be favorited to advance in this group, but if Mexico catches its fire from 2011/12, the Croatians may have a lot to handle.

Mexico opens up their World Cup group play on June 13, 2014 against Cameroon.

Vamos México!