International Friendly: Mexico and Australia Set to Reunite in Texas

Mexico vs Australia

Fresh from their CONCACAF Gold Cup triumph, Mexico are back in action, and they will head to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, this weekend to take on Australia for their first International Friendly this summer.

Mexico and Australia plan to use this international break to prepare for big tournaments ahead. Also, this is a great opportunity for these two nations to familiarise themselves with playing in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

After this game, Mexico will take on Uzbekistan, Ghana, and Germany before competing in the CONCACAF Nations League. Meanwhile, Australia will face England and New Zealand before commencing their World Cup Asian qualifying campaign in November.

Who do you think will win this contest? Learn more about these two teams here at SBOTOP.

Talking Points

Lozano plans to build on Mexico’s CONCACAF Gold Cup success

This game against Australia is actually Jaime Lozano’s first official game as Mexico’s full-time national team head coach.

Lozano was brought in on an interim basis when they fired Diego Cocca, who replaced Tata Martino after the 2022 World Cup, but the 44-year-old manager eventually earned his full-time contract after leading Mexico to the CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy last July.

Mexico’s CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign is memorable because they were simply better than everyone else. After beating Honduras and Haiti in the group stage, El Tri dominated the knockout stages, eliminating Costa Rica and Jamaica without conceding a goal before beating Panama 1-0 in the final.

Lozano has called up 24 players for this international break, with Jesus Orozco, Jordi Cortizo, and Cesar Huerta being the uncapped guys thus far.

As always, Guillermo Ochoa will man the sticks for El Tri for what will be his 144^th cap, while fellow veterans Raul Jimenez and Hector Herrera also have 100+ caps under their belts.

Moreover, Mexico are hopeful that Santiago Gimenez is 100-per cent fit against Australia. The exciting young striker picked up an injury against Utrecht in the Eredivisie after he scored a brace en route to a 5-1 victory.

If Gimenez is out this weekend, then Raul Jimenez would presumably be the starting striker in Lozano’s lineup following his decent performances so far with Fulham.

Edson Alvarez is another guy to watch from Mexico, as the midfielder has found his footing with his new team, West Ham United.

Australia offer a different look

Australia’s squad looks somewhat different, as Graham Arnold plans to blend experience with a bunch of new faces.

Garang Kuol, Ajdin Hrustic, Awer Mabil, and Jason Cummings were left out of the team, while veterans Maty Ryan, Ryan Strain, Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Jackson Irvine, and Matthew Leckie will make the trip to Texas.

Alessandro Circati, Samuel Silvera, and Cameron Burgess are three of the most notable new call-ups for the Socceroos, and we won’t be surprised if they make their debuts against El Tri this weekend.

Circati currently plays for Serie B team Parma, while Burgess and Silvera are plying their trade in the Championship for Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough, respectively.

History

This friendly is more than two decades in the making, as Mexico and Australia last faced off in May 2001 during the FIFA Confederations Cup. In the said game, El Tri beat the Socceroos with a 2-0 scoreline.

In the overall head-to-heads, Mexico have the edge with two wins, two draws, and only one loss. Australia haven’t defeated Mexico across all competitions since their first-ever meeting in December 1970, when they won 3-0.

Both of these teams competed in the World Cup last year. Australia advanced to the knockout rounds after finishing second in Group D, whereas Mexico fell short and finished third in Group C. The Socceroos were ultimately defeated by the eventual winners, Argentina, in the Round of 16.

Since the 2022 World Cup, Mexico have lost just two of their 13 matches across all competitions (W8, D3). In contrast, Australia have only played three games, notching two losses and one victory.

Betting Tip

Mexico are favoured at 1.67 to win this weekend, according to the latest International Friendly 2023 odds. Meanwhile, Australia are the underdogs at 4.10, and a draw is also at 3.60 in the 1X2 market.

Given that they’re a deeper team, anything other than a win by Mexico is going to be considered a surprise, especially with a partisan crowd behind them.

In terms of goal count, we don’t expect too many International Friendly 2023 highlights from this contest, making Under 2.50 at 1.84 a safe betting alternative.

 

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