Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Mexico are set to face Ecuador this weekend in Los Angeles, California. Miguel Herrera has picked basically the same squad that he took to the World Cup, while coach Gustavo Quinteros will play his first match with the South Americans.
The last time these two met, in May 2014, El Tri suffered Luis Montes' loss for the World Cup after he broke his tibia in a clash with Segundo Castillo, who also missed the tournament.
Since this is the only FIFA date before the Copa America and the Gold Cup, it will be El Piojo's sole opportunity to have the European-based players on his team.
What will be the result of this match?Date: Saturday, March 28
Time: 6:30 p.m. EST /12:30 a.m. GMT (Sunday)
Venue:LA Coliseum, Los Angeles, California.
Television:ESPN 2 and Univision
Streaming:WatchESPN
Form
Mexico
Ecuador
Bolivia: Win
France: Draw
Honduras: Win
Bolivia: Win
Panama: Win
Brazil: Loss
Netherlands: Win
USA: Draw
Belarus: Loss
El Salvador: Win
Predicted Lineups
Mexico will play with their usual 3-5-2. The starting XI will be very similar to what we saw in the 2014 World Cup.
Guillermo Ochoa will guard the goal, despite Jose Corona being back on the team.
The absence of Rafael Marquez (injury) and Francisco Rodriguez (personal reasons) will see Diego Reyes and Hugo Ayala in the lineup.
The full-backs will be Paul Aguilar (right) and Miguel Layun (left); the midfield will also be the same as in Brazil: Hector Herrera (RM), Jose Juan Vazquez (CM) and Andres Guardado (LM).
It's important to mention that Herrera and Layun will miss the next match, against Paraguay, as they'll go back ASAP to Porto and Watford, respectively, per MedioTiempo.com (in Spanish).
The attack will be comprised of Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernandez.
Meanwhile, Ecuador has received tough news. According to Ecuadorian magazine Estadio (in Spanish), Enner Valencia will miss the upcoming friendlies because he hasn't recovered from a cut on his toe.
Felipe Caicedo and Joao Rojas joined the squad a day later, which led them to miss the first training session, as per the Ecuadorian Football Federation (in Spanish).
This will be the first game for coach Quinteros, who arrives after three years in charge of Ecuadorian club Emelec, having won two Serie A titles in that span.
Key players
Hector Herrera
The Porto midfielder has proved to be the best Mexican footballer right now. He has been instrumental with his club, both in the domestic league and the Champions League.
Herrera scored a superb goal in the second leg of the round of 16 in the 4-0 win over Basel.
With Mexico, he has been a great playmaker, as well as an unbalancing player who can open spaces between the rivals' lines, which is something El Tri lacked in 2013 and most of 2014, when Jose Manuel de la Torre was in charge of the squad.
Fidel Martinez
With the absence of Enner Valencia, coach Quinteros will need all the help he can get.
Currently playing for Mexican club Leones Negros, Fidel Martinez has a strong aerial game, which, combined with his speed and ability to leave the defenders behind, can put Mexico in distress at set pieces.
Martinez has put the ball away five times, becoming his club's top scorer. The Ecuadorian has been instrumental in helping Leones Negros leave the bottom of the relegation table.
Odds (perOddschecker)
Mexico: 23-20
Draw: 12-5
Ecuador: 11-4
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2408694-mexico-vs-ecuador-team-news-predicted-line-ups-live-stream-tv-info
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