Mexico host Turkey in a high-profile friendly international, which is scheduled for North Carolina's Kenan Memorial Stadium. Both national teams have work to do ahead of their important fixtures in the coming months. Who is more prepared for the challenge?
Mexico and Switzerland produced a phenomenal friendly clash last week, and although El Tricolor lost 4-2, we saw that they are capable of challenging teams that are much stronger on paper. Beating Turkey might prove even harder, however, as the Crescent-Stars have one of their best generations ever. The positive for Mexico is their goal-scoring form. El Tricolor scored at least twice in seven of their last 10 matches, including in five of the last six.
But Turkey are in a very strong position after getting promoted to League A of the UEFA Nations League and are coming after three wins in a row. Vincenzo Montella's side only lost twice in their last 10 matches.
How the bookies view it: The symbolic hosts with a minimal advantage
Bookmakers actually gave Mexico the betting advantage, although the odds are almost identical right now. You can pick El Tricolor at 27/20 or Turkey at 17/10. Based on the odds for the two teams, there is a high chance of a draw, which is currently available at 5/2.
Recent head to head: A new rivalry begins today
Curiously, Mexico and Turkey have never met before, not even in friendlies. Therefore, we have no useful data to help us with our picks.
Players to watch: Akturkoglu's best season
There is no point in saying that the Turkish national team has much more quality than the Mexican squad. Almost all players in Turkey's group play for top-tier clubs in Western Europe. Out of all the elite names in the squad, we can single out Kerem Akturkoglu, who just ended a phenomenal season for Benfica with 16 goals and 10 assists. He was also the team's top goalscorer in the Nations League with five goals in eight appearances. And last week, he scored the winning goal against the USA.
Probable line-ups
Mexico: Rangel, Lara, Orozco, Montes, Chavez, Rodriguez, Lira, Alvarado, Huerta, Vega, Jimenez
Turkey: Ozer, Soyuncu, Elmali, Demiral, Yuksek, Celik, Yildiz, Kokcu, Aydin, Guler, Akturkoglu
Anything else catch the eye?
While we love Javier Aguirre's work in the Mexican national team, there's no denying that Turkey have the stronger squad and are also in phenomenal form. And given that this will be Turkey's final prep for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, we know that every single player on the pitch will want to shine in order to secure his place in the starting line-up.
But with Mexico's recent performances, we expect to see action on both ends. El Tricolor have improved immensely in the final third, scoring eight goals in their last five matches. We should see an exchange of goals but in the end, it should be Turkey that comes out victorious. We expect a tight clash, so if we are to pick a scoreline, 1-2 sounds like the top pick. But do not overdo it with the stakes, as this is a friendly match, and everything is possible.
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