FRIDAY 13TH JUNE - 9:30PM (LOCAL) | ESTADIO DAS DUNAS, NATAL
VS
MAXICO CAMEROON
PREVIEW
Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez has paid for a frustrating season with his club by being relegated to the bench for Mexico’s opening World Cup clash with Cameroon on Friday.
Hernandez started only six league games for a struggling Man United side this last season, managing just four goals in 24 appearances, 18 as a substitute, in the Premier League.Instead, coach Miguel Herrera, who Thursday named his entire starting line-up for the game in Natal, has plumped for in-form duo Oribe Peralta and Giovani dos Santos.
“There is very good chemistry between them,” said Herrera, known as ‘Piojo’ (ugly bloke), as a way of explanation for Hernandez’s omission.
The other main selection was that of Ajaccio goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa over Jose Corona and Alfredo Talavera.
Mexico come into the tournament on the back of a poor qualification campaign in which they finished fourth in the CONCACAF final group and needed a play-off against New Zealand to secure their passage.
However, 10 of their squad played in the gold medal winning side at the Olympics in 2012 that defeated Brazil in the final.
They will also face Brazil and Croatia in Group A at the World Cup.
LINE UPS
Mexico: Having failed to go beyond the Round of 16 in all of their past five attempts in the World Cup, Mexico are raging to impress. The fans are aching to support the El Tri for a longer while in the tournament and will be looking forward to even improving their record of only reaching the quarter-final.
Cameroon: Known as the Indomitable Lions, Cameroon have set an example of what African football can offer on the world stage. They are the first side from Africa to reach the quarter-finals of the competition in 1990. Since then, Cameroon have always failed to go beyond the Group Stage of the tournament whenever they have qualified for the World Cup. Samuel Eto’o and company will target a good finish in Brazil this time.
Head-to-Head
Total Matches Played: 1
Mexico 1 win, Camroon 0 wins, 0 Draws
Cameroon: Known as the Indomitable Lions, Cameroon have set an example of what African football can offer on the world stage. They are the first side from Africa to reach the quarter-finals of the competition in 1990. Since then, Cameroon have always failed to go beyond the Group Stage of the tournament whenever they have qualified for the World Cup. Samuel Eto’o and company will target a good finish in Brazil this time.
Head-to-Head
Total Matches Played: 1
Mexico 1 win, Camroon 0 wins, 0 Draws