Mexico vs Chile: Copa America 2015, Schedule, Predictions, Rosters, Stream & Preview
The 2015 Copa America has reached the second round in Group A. Only Chile has a victory in this group thus far, but a lot of soccer remains to be played. Chile and Mexico will face off on Monday night in very critical group stage contest.
Both teams have their advantages and flaws heading into this game, so let's break them down and pick a winner.
Chile (19)
Chile won their opener against Ecuador, 2-0. Eduardo Vargas and Arturo Vidal scored the only two goals of the game, and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo earned a clean sheet not allowing a single goal against. Chile is the highest ranked team (19) in Group A, and they are the host nation this year.
The last time Chile was the host nation was back in 1991, when Argentina won it all against Brazil. Chile has never won the Copa America, but they have made it to the finals four times; the most recent one coming in 1987 when they lost to Uruguay. While everyone is focusing on Lionel Messi's Argentina squad, Neymar's Brazilian team, and James Rodriguez's Colombian group, Chile is being overlooked in this tournament.
Chile has a very balanced team from top to bottom. Bravo is an exceptional goalkeeper while Mauricio Isla, Gonzalo Jara and Gary Medel lead a very powerful defense. Chile has arguably the best defense in this tournament. Jorge Valdivia, Arturo Vidal and Matías Fernández create a great middle field, but Chile does have some questions on offense. Outside of Alexis Sanchez, Chile's offense isn't very powerful.
Chile's next game will be on Friday, June 19 against Bolivia.
Mexico (23)
Unlike Chile, Mexico was unable to win their first Copa America game. Mexico drew a tie with Bolivia, 0-0. Mexico and Bolivia are currently tied for second place in Group A while Ecuador is in last place. Mexico enters this Copa America as the No. 23 ranked team in the world, but it's pretty unlikely we'll see them go very far.
Head coach Miguel Herrera is resting a lot of his players in preparation for the Gold Cup. Notable players such as Javier Hernandez, Francisco Javier Rodríguez, Héctor Moreno, Andrés Guardado and Giovani dos Santos will not be playing against Chile. Similar to Chile, Mexico has never won the Copa America.
José de Jesús Corona will be getting the start in net instead of Guillermo Ochoa. With Hernandez out because of rest, Raúl Jiménez (shown above) now commands the offense, and this Mexican squad desperately needs his scoring. Mexico's biggest weakness is their middle field.
Mexico's next game will be on Friday, June 19 against Ecuador.
Schedule Where to Watch
Mexico and Chile will play each other at 7:30 p.m. EST on Monday, June 15 at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile. The game will be shown on the beIN sports network. You can watch a live game stream here.
Prediction
Chile should win this game, and they will. Mexico isn't at full strength, and Chile doesn't have a huge hole to penetrate. The odds of Mexico scoring more than one goal against Bravo are very slim. Playing at home should help Chile as well.
Chile wins 3-1