The second match in the Copa America on Friday morning UK time sees Mexico back in action as they look for back to back wins in the tournament when they face Jamaica in what would be a repeat of last year’s Gold Cup final.
Mexico won that final and if they win here they will all but secure their place in the quarter finals and indeed will do that if Uruguay haven’t won the earlier match. Jamaica lost their opening game so they need to win this one badly.
Of all the teams who played in the first round of matches I thought Mexico were by far and away the most impressive team. They defended pretty stoutly but the pace and skill they attacked with was the standout of the opening set of games.
You could tell Mexico were a form side heading into the tournament just by the way they played. Everyone wanted the ball and were confident on it and that is never a bad place to be. Mexico are now unbeaten in 20 matches and have won their last eight with the goal Uruguay scored being the only one they conceded in that time.
The Jamaicans offered plenty of heart, spirit and determination in their opening match against Venezuela but they were made to pay for a slow start where they conceded a goal and went down to 10 men and while they came on strong in the second half they couldn’t repair the damage that was done.
They can take heart from how they played in that match but on paper at least that was the easiest of their three matches in the group so they face a real uphill battle from here if they are to play a part in the latter stages of the tournament.
Team News
Mexico go into this match without their midfielder Andres Guardado who was sent off in the match against Uruguay. His replacement hasn’t been confirmed yet and one of the beauties of this squad is that they have a number of options.
Jamaica will also be without a suspended player after their captain Rodolph Austin was sent off. Lee Williamson is in line to replace the former Leeds midfielder from the start here. Kemar Lawrence went off injured in the opening game and Wes Morgan could start if he hasn’t recovered.
Head to Head
Mexico have won 18 of the 23 fixtures that have taken place between these two including eight of the last nine with the latest one of those being the final of the Gold Cup last year which they won 3-1 in the USA so they’ve decent memories.
Jamaica have four wins out of the 23 games and there has also been a draw but as you would expect historically it has been Mexico who have had the better of this battle through the years.
Betting
I fancy Mexico here and based on what we saw in the first game from them I like them even stronger than I originally did. Initially I was going to back them to win to nil but Haiti’s goal last night has made me think twice about that as it shows how volatile betting in that market can be.
With that in mind I’ll take Mexico on the -1.5 Asian line which means they need to win by two goals but if Venezuela are beating Jamaica then you’ve got to think Mexico will do that at the very least and then it is just a case of needing the extra goal.
Given what we saw in their respective opening matches I would be very surprised if this slick, exciting, pacey Mexico outfit don’t win this by a couple of goals and potentially quite a few more particularly if they break the deadlock early. Mexico by at least a couple for me here.
Tips
WON – Back Mexico (-1.5AH) to beat Jamaica for a 4/10 stake at 1.77 with 188bet
Back them here:
