If you study the form guide, Mexico are the horse to back in the Copa America Centenario.
El Tri heads into the tournament on a 19-match unbeaten run. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio has won seven on the spin since taking charge at the end of 2015, with his side scoring 14 goals without conceding.
It has been smooth sailing for the Colombian to date. However, the calm water is about to get a little choppy.
Mexico kick off their Copa campaign against Uruguay on Sunday. The game, staged at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, is a clash between the two favourites to move on from Group C.
Although they would both still face Jamaica and Venezuela—the other two nations in the group—an opening win would do more than just lay down a marker.
If Mexico and Uruguay make it through to the knockout stage as expected, they would likely face a quarter-final tie against either Argentina or Chile.
Pick your poison, gents.
The likely absence of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez will help Osorio’s side on Sunday. The talismanic striker is struggling with a right hamstring injury he picked up in Barcelona's Copa del Rey win over Sevilla on May 22.
According to Luis F. Rojo and Simon Harrison of Marca, Suarez may not feature until the quarter-final stage.
La Celeste are far from just a one-man team, though. Edinson Cavani—who has scored 32 goals for his country—will lead the line in Suarez’s expected absence.
But, as pointed out by Thomas Hautmann of Fox Soccer, Uruguay are built on solid foundations at the back:
Defence and organisation have long been the hallmark of Uruguay's play, and key to the team's 2011 Copa America title run and fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup. With [Diego] Godin, his Atletico Madrid team-mate Jose Gimenez, and Porto's Maxi Pereira in the veteran backline, Uruguay will continue to keep games close enough to give them a chance to win.
Godin and Gimenez were part of a seriously stingy defence at Atletico. OptaPaolo tweeted the statistics:
Source :http://bleacherreport.com/
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