Argentina vs Mexico Prediction, Betting Odds & Preview

Here is your Argentina vs Mexico prediction! We have all the betting odds and a preview of this game between two Latin-American sides.

Can Messi and co bounce back from their shock loss to Saudi Arabia? Find out below!

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Game Details

Matchup: Argentina vs Mexico

Venue: Lusail Stadium

Kick-Off: 7 pm, Sat, Nov 26th

What Channel? RTE 2 for Irish viewers. UK viewers can catch the game on ITV

Match Betting Odds

The Form – Argentina vs Mexico

Argentina’s Form

Yes, it really did happen. That was not a dream. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia at the FIFA World Cup in one of the most stunning upsets in the competition’s history.

The shock result ended a 36-game unbeaten run which was the second longest streak of all-time in international football. It was particularly concerning for Argentina fans that the team never really looked like scoring after they went down save for one goal line clearance.

So how’s the form? It was historic and now it’s hard to know what to make of this Argentine side. They won their five games in the lead up to this World Cup with a +19 goal difference.

So was the Saudi Arabia loss just an off day or is this the start of a World Cup melt down for Argentina? We’re going to find out this Saturday against Mexico.

Mexico’s Form

Mexico come into this game against Argentina off the back of a 0-0 draw with Poland. They will be a little disappointed with the draw as they dominated possession at a mark of 61%.

Although it looked like Poland would steal a win after Lewandowski was awarded a penalty in the second half but Mexican and World Cup legend ‘keeper Guillermo Ochoa made a crucial save.

Prior to the start of this World Cup Mexico were in a shaky run of form with two wins and three losses in five games.

How The Two Teams Match Up

Argentina’s Attack

When talking about the Argentina attack there is only one place to start. That is of course with the mercurial Messi. The Argentine number ten stepped up to the penalty spot against Argentina and slotted home what was to be his team’s only goal of the game.

Messi looked menacing in the first half but the second half was an entirely different story altogether. He was invisible on the pitch at times and failed to provide that magical spark for Argentina that we have become so accustomed to.

The South Americans did score a bevy of offside goals in the first half. Three in total and a couple of them were very tight decisions.

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez played alongside Messi up front in what was a 4-4-2 formation. It will be interesting to see if Argentina Manager Lionel Scaloni mixes things up after the loss to Saudi Arabia or if he opts to stick with what has served this team so well over recent years.

Mexico’s Defence

Mexico were impressive in defence against Poland in their opening game of this World Cup. The Polish took aim at the Mexican net on eight occasions but only one of those shots was on target and that came from the penalty spot.

The Mexicans played a 4-3-3 against Poland and it worked well for them defensively, but you wonder if they will be brave enough to stick with this formation against Argentina or switch to something a little more defensive minded.

The goalkeeper Ochoa has reached icon status on the World Cup stage given his consistently incredible performances at the tournament. Edson Alvarez will anchor the midfield and sit just in front of the centre backs to offer protection in central areas.

Mexico’s Attack

As I mentioned before, Mexico dominated possession in their game against Poland with 61% of the ball. They will know that this time around they will have to make do with less possession against an Argentina side that is strong in the middle of the pitch and up front.

While Mexico didn’t score a goal it wasn’t for a lack of trying. They took 13 shots against Poland but only four of those hit the target.

Mexico’s number 22 and Napoli clubman Hirving “Chucky” Lozano looks like an ever-present threat on the wing for this team and you can expect Argentine defenders to keep a close eye on him.

Argentina’s Defence

The most interesting call in Argentina’s lineup against Saudi Arabia was the decision to omit Lisandro Martinez from the starting XI. Man united fans in particular were shocked by the decision because the centre back has been in amazing form for the Red Devils in the Premier League this season.

Cristian Romero started ahead of Martinez but was subbed off for the Man United man after less than sixty minutes played. I would expect Martinez to start this game as Scaloni may look to shake things up after the Saudi Arabia loss.

This might surprise some people but Argentina didn’t actually defend terribly against Saudi Arabia. The Asian side only had three shots in the whole game and they all came in the space of five minutes with two of them finding the back of the net.

If you like advanced stats then you might find it interesting to note that Argentina only conceded 0.14 xG (expected goals) in their World Cup opener.

Argentina vs Mexico Prediction and Best Bet

These teams have met up three times in the World Cup and Argentina have won every time and the Argentines also have a much more talented squad in this matchup. So let’s not put too much weight into the Saudi Arabia loss. The best bet here is Argentina to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 at 8/5 in the correct score groups market.

Goalscorer Betting Odds – Argentina vs Mexico Prediction

Messi to score 2+ goals has been boosted to 5/1 from 9/2 and there are a couple reasons I think this is a great value for punters. First of all, Messi is playing a central striker role in this Argentina team which means he will find himself in an around the goal plenty. Second, Messi takes all the free kicks and penalties for this team.

If you fancy a bit more of a longshot then Mexican winger Hirving Lozano getting his name on the score sheet first at 10/1 might be worth a look.

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