Confederations Cup – Mexico vs Italy
Maracana stadium will be the stage for a great Confederations Cup game as Mexico take on Italy in group A, Sunday at 3 PM ET.
Mexico has had terrible moments over the last two weeks, including a World Cup qualification series that has put them in a complicated situation. The Mexicans still have a good chance of getting into the World Cup, but they have failed to dominate a zone they usually bullied.
Mexico last game was against Costa Rica; the Mexicans were outplayed and could have lost at home, but the match ended in a 0-0 result that set the alarm for the Aztecas.
Coach Jose De La Torre thinks his team could find a better form against teams like Italy, Brazil and Japan; their group rivals.
“I think the group has reacted well to all these circumstances, of course saddened by the results, is normal. They know this is another tournament, you have to enjoy it to the fullest, make the most of it as the opportunity to reverse many situations, many circumstances that are affecting all, ” De la Torre said.
Italy had a tied against Haiti 2-2 in a surprising result last week. Striker Stephan El Sharaawy is not practicing with the team as he suffers with a muscular problem.
“We know that 2-2 is a really bad result,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli commented. “We agreed to play this match, we arrived yesterday, we made a lot of changes, but we needed to show a different spirit. You could see today we lost every single sprint, so we hope in five days the team can begin to deliver.”
The moneyline has Italy +120; Mexico +210 and the draw +220.
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
