The top two teams in Group C of the 2015 Gold Cup collide on Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona, site of Super Bowl XLIX earlier this year.
Mexico and Guatemala meet in what could be a deciding match for El Tri on their quest to dethrone the United States as reigning Gold Cup Champions.
Both teams are coming into the match after entirely different circumstances. Mexico blew out Cuba 6-0 earlier in the week, and come into the match riding a wave of momentum as they look to keep pace with Trinidad and Tobago who currently lead the group with 6 points after a 2-0 victory over Cuba earlier in the day.
Guatemala on the other hand are reeling after a shocking loss to Trinidad and Tobago upset the Central American side 3-1 in their opening match of Group play on July 9th.
Mexico looked strong in their decimation of Cuba on Thursday. Oribe Peralta scored a hat trick and three other players scored for El Tri including Giovani dos Santos who's rumored to be heading to the LA Galaxy of the MLS later this month.
Peralta started in place of the injured Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez who was ruled out of the Gold Cup after breaking his collarbone in the team's final tune up against Honduras.
Mexico is a six-time Gold Cup Champion and will have the home field advantage as EL Tri supporters are expected to greatly outnumber the Guatemalan side.
Mexico will more thank likely be playing with a chip on their shoulder after the most recent FIFA rankings dropped El Tri to 40th after the loss of Chicharito despite their blowout over Cuba.
Manager Miguel "El Piojo" Herrera seems to have found something in the dynamic duo of Carlos Vela and Dos Santos in the midfield. Both players scored on Thursday, and will certainly be looking for an encore performance on Sunday evening.
Guatemala also dropped in the recent FIFA rankings after their disappointing performance against Trinidad and Tobago. Guatemala shockingly fell behind Cuba to No. 105 in the world, but will be able to prove that on the pitch when the two sides meet in the final match of Group play on July 15th.
Most experts expected Guatemala to advance out of the Group with Mexico, but the odds are stacked against them now after Trinidad and Tobago's win over Cuba. Guatemala is now faced with a "must-win" match against Mexico if they want any chance to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament. A win, and Trinidad and Tobago clinch the top seed in the group. A loss, and Mexico clinches a seat in the next round, with a clash with Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday to decide the top seed.
Guatemala will need a huge performance by team captain Carlos Ruiz who scored the team's only goal in their 3-1 defeat on Thursday. Ricardo Jerez gets the start in goal for Guatemala and he will need to be superb on Sunday to stop the Mexican attack.
For Guatemala to pull the upset, they will need to win the battle of the midfield and control possession for the duration of the match. Look for José Manuel Contreras and Carlos Figueroa to take charge of those duties as they seek every opportunity to get the ball to Ruiz.
Prediction: 3-1 Mexico
Betting Favorite: Mexico -1
Over/Under: 3.5 Goals.
Mexico and Guatemala collide on Sunday, July 12th at 9:00PM EST at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will air live on Fox Sports 2 and on UniMas in Spanish. It can be live streamed here. If you want to watch the match on your phone, download the Fox Sports Go mobile app from your app store.
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