Czechia
Czechia began their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Korea Republic in their opening game on the first day of the tournament. They took the lead in the second half via Ladislav Krejci before Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu inflicted a defeat upon the Central Europeans.
In their second game, in what was a low-quality affair, Czechia shared a 1-1 draw with South Africa. Czechia had taken an early lead via Michal Sadilek before Teboho Mokoena converted a late penalty to leave the Czechs in a perilous position as they head into their final game.
Injuries & Team News
After sustaining a brutal thigh injury whilst training with the side earlier in the month, Czech Republic defender David Jurasek will be unavailable for the remainder of the tournament and is set to return at the end of July.
Although they have been largely underwhelming, it is likely that Narodak stick with a similar lineup to their first two matches, with Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ladislav Krejci captaining the side and Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-1 vs South Africa | D L W W W W |
Predicted Line-Up
Czech Republic possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Holes, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Darida, Cerv, Sadilek, Sojka; Schick, Hlozek
Mexico
With the pressure of being co-hosts, Mexico will be very content with their work, having wrapped up top spot with a game to go in Group A. They defeated South Africa by two goals to nil before then defeating the Koreans 1-0, with the second game being a fairly dull and unconvincing performance.
After a game that ended with Mexico having ten men on the pitch against Bafana Bafana’s nine, Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored the goals for El Tri in their opener before Luis Romo pounced on a Kim Seung-gyu mistake in the Korea Republic goal in the second half to give the Mexicans a slender victory in Guadalajara.
Injuries & Team News
Following his red card in the opening match against South Africa, Cesar Montes served his one game suspension against South Korea and will be available again for Mexico on Thursday.
Having already sealed qualification to the knockouts, it would be no surprise if Aguirre made some changes to his lineup and rests some of El Tricolor’s big names like Edson Alvarez, Quinones and Jimenez.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-0 vs South Korea | L W W W D W |
Predicted Line-Up
Mexico possible starting lineup:
Rangel; Sanchez, Reyes, Vasquez, Gallardo; Gutierrez, Lira, Romo; Alvarado, Gimenez, Quinones
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Czechia Win | 29/10 – (3.90) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 3/1 – (4.00) | Dream Vegas |
| Mexico Win | 19/20 – (1.85) | 247Bet |
Prediction
Czechia 1-1 Mexico
Czechia head into thois final group game with a feeling of what might have been, ahead in both games so far yet knowing a defeat here would eliminate them. Mexico meanwhile have qualified with minimum fuss and 2 wins. I expect this to be well contested and end all square.