Mexico vs. Portugal: Predictions and Analysis
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A Selecção, and el Tri will meet one more time in a group stage rematch for 3rd place in the Confederations Cup.
In their last encounter, both teams ended in a 2-2 draw. First a recap of their semi-final performances. Honestly, they didn’t do all too great.
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Portugal was spanked on penalties
The worst nightmare for any team is to settle a match via a penalty shootout. 90 minutes of regulation and an additional 30 minutes weren’t enough. Shockingly, Portugal failed to convert on all three penalties, while Chile nailed each one. Thanks to the heroics of Claudio Bravo, “la Roja” advanced to their third straight final; whereas Portugal will compete for the unwanted 3rd place.
Portugal remains undefeated against Mexico
Only on four occasions have these teams taken on each other. In none of those matches has Portugal lost to Mexico. Their record is 2-2-0 against El Tri. This is not to say that Portugal won all four matches. Rather, two of those four were draws. As a matter of fact, both teams have tallied four goals against each other. So, the undefeated streak consists of only two victories (50%) out of four.
Given that this is the smallest gap in between matches, both teams should still remember what to expect from the other. Mexico is weak on counterattacks, so Portugal will want to make good use of that. With Portugal, they are simply inconsistent. The team is composed of elite goal scorers and defenders on a club level; but they can’t find their groove when they form the national squad.
There is less pressure to choke for Mexico
It isn’t news that Mexico has a history of choking when under pressure. In comparison to their match against Germany, in some sense there is less pressure on El Tri. Since neither team is competing for championship gold anymore. If anything, think about it as an international friendly on a larger scale.
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Prediction: Portugal 2 – Mexico 1
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