Mexico vs Cuba Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Joel Amorim Jul 08, 2015 @ 02:35 am

Next Friday, 10th of July 2015, an inconsistent Mexico will go head-to-head with the fragile Cuban team at the Soldier Field in Chicago for the second match of the Group C of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

After a less impressive stint at Copa America last month, Mexico now need to pull rank in the Gold Cup if they want to turn that particular competition into something positive. La Verde’s boss, Miguel Herrera, left several important players out of the tournament that took place in Chile as he opted to have them physically fit in time for the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Mexico failed to go beyond the group stage as they did not win any of the three matches they took part in. A disappointing draw with Bolivia, a solid performance against Chile (which happened to be a fantastic match, by the way), and an unimpressive display in the 2-1 defeat against Ecuador was the best Mexico had to offer during their Copa America's brief stint.

The return of Mexico’s most important players, as for example Hector Herrera, Andres Guardado, Carlos Vela and Guillermo Ochoa, will definitely offer Miguel Herrera the possibility to mount a fairly more competitive team than the one that played at Copa America. Nevertheless, the Mexican head coach will not be able to rely on the contribution of the team’s sharpshooter, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who will miss the tournament due to injury. The Manchester United’s striker, who was on loan at Real Madrid last season, fractured his right collarbone in their recent preparation match against Honduras and will probably be sidelined for four or five weeks. Javier Hernandez’s absence will surely be a huge blow to Mexico’s aspirations, regardless of the fact that the team had several good options for the forward line.

As for Cuba, it is fair to say that they are not going through the best of times, as they have only managed to win one of their last ten matches. Their manager, Raúl Triana, probably has a lot on his mind right now, but his team’s lack of international experience might prove to be their Achilles' heel in this competition. Cuba’s most prolific strikers, Roberto Linares and Yaikel Perez, have been left out of the tournament and, for that reason, the Lions of the Caribbean will certainly rely on the skills of their talented midfielder Ariel Martinez to lead the team during this usually complicated and demanding competition.

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