It has been a turbulent World Cup cycle for Mexico since the end of the tournament held in Qatar, and now, with their third boss in less than two years, El Tri will begin a quest for redemption with a new coach and a former legend on the sidelines when they lock horns against New Zealand.
The game facing the All Whites will give El Tri a chance to face a team that can be labeled as favorites to play in the upcoming World Cup. Furthermore, it will give the North Americans a chance to welcome Javier Aguirre at the helm one more time, but for this occasion, the seasoned coach will come back to El Tri's dugout with former Barcelona defender and Mexican legend Rafa Márquez as part of his staff.
For this match, Mexico's coach has called up some familiar faces while also leaving out some of their top players in recent years, such as Guillermo Ochoa and Hirving Lozano. Now, the team will rely on players such as Julian Quiñones, Santiago Gimenez, and Genoa's Johan Vásquez, one of the best defenders of this generation. It will be interesting to see what tactics Aguirre will use, since his predecessors failed to find a suitable lineup that delivered good results for Mexico, especially when playing against the USMNT.
On the other side of the pitch, New Zealand take the pitch for the first time since June, when they defeated Vanuatu in the OFC Nations Cup. Coach Darren Bazeley is expected to field an experienced lineup that will include striker Chris Wood and defenders Tommy Smith and Michael Boxall. The game will also give coach Bazeley an option to rejuvenate the team's squad for upcoming games, since eleven of their players have not performed in over 20 international matches before Saturday's match.
The rivalry between Mexico and New Zealand has been a bit one-sided, as El Tri has beaten the All Whites six times in six games. In fact, the first of those games took place in 2010 with coach Aguirre being in charge of Mexico's tactics. That game ended two-nil for Mexico, and it would not be a surprise to see them repeating such a score this time around.
International Friendly: Mexico vs New Zealand TV and streaming info
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