Mexico kick-off their 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign with a match against El Salvador on Monday, with El Tri heading into the tournament with an inexperienced line-up due to their recent Confederations Cup exploits. Having finished in fourth place in Russia, Mexico will be looking to go better in the Gold Cup, with Juan Carlos Osario’s men one of the pre-tournament favourites.
However, an opening match against El Salvador may not be as easy as it seems, with the underdogs bringing an experienced squad with them to the United States. Let’s take a closer look at the two teams, as well as our top betting tip, with the tournament set to attract a large amount of wagering.
Mexico
The reigning Gold Cup champions have seen their playing squad decimated due to the Confederations Cup, meaning that they are forced to call-up a whole new batch of talent. With their squad among the youngest in the entire tournament, it remains to be seen as to just how quickly they can gel. Mexico have played two warm-up fixtures in preparation, defeating both Ghana and Paraguay. These victories are likely to have given the young players a huge amount of confidence, with Erick Torres just one of the recent new players looking to shine. Despite prioritising the Confederations Cup, Mexico will still be fully motivated to retain their Gold Cup title.
El Salvador
El Salvador enter the competition looking to return to the knockout stages for the first time since 2013, however realistically they are competing alongside Jamaica for the runner=up position in Group C. They go into their encounter with Mexico as the major outsiders, having finished third in the recent Copa Centroamericano. Recent friendlies have seen El Salvador draw with Honduras, before suffering defeat to Ecuador in June. With mostly home-based players making up the El Salvador squad, the step up may just be too much for them against Mexico.
Top Betting Tip
Despite missing star players such as Javier Hernandez, Mexico are still one of the tournament favourites, and this is why we are backing them to win their opening game as our top betting tip. Best odds of 1/4 available at SkyBet.