Co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, and we take a look at this critical Group A encounter and World Cup opener from a betting angle.
Before we get into this preview, let’s look at the outright chances of the two teams.
Mexico are priced at 67.00 to win the tournament, while South Africa are massive outsiders at 1251.00.
Looking specifically at Group A, Mexico are 1.75 favourites to win the group ahead of South Korea at 4.30, Czechia at 4.75, and South Africa at 13.00.
You can click here for the latest outright betting and click here for our outright betting preview.
Mexico – Road to the World Cup and Current Form
Mexico qualified automatically for the World Cup as co-hosts, so recent form is the key area to focus on.
Looking back over the last five months, Mexico have played eight matches, winning six and drawing two. Their latest friendly saw them beat Serbia 5-1, and crucially they have conceded only four goals across those eight matches.
The two toughest fixtures came against Belgium and Portugal, with both matches ending in draws.
South Africa – Road to the World Cup and Current Form
South Africa topped a very competitive qualifying group which included Nigeria to reach the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010.
Under 74-year-old coach Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana have made solid progress, including a third-place finish at AFCON as well as qualification for this tournament.
It must be said, however, that recent form has been a concern and there is a feeling that this side may have peaked slightly too early.
Looking at their recent matches, South Africa beat Jamaica 1-0 in a friendly, drew 0-0 at home to Nicaragua, lost 2-1 to Panama and then drew 1-1 with Panama. The standard of opposition in those matches is also well below what they will face against Mexico.
Head-to-Head
South Africa and Mexico have not met since the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which ended in a memorable 1-1 draw.
South Africa took the lead in the 55th minute through Siphiwe Shabalala’s iconic strike before Rafael Márquez equalised for Mexico in the 79th minute.
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Betting – Click here to bet on the match
- Mexico: 1.44
- Draw: 4.50
- South Africa: 8.50
Verdict
As much as my heart screams South Africa, and I will certainly be glued to the screen on Thursday night at 9pm South African time, I do think Bafana Bafana face a mountain to climb in this opening game.
Mexico, having known for years that they would be part of this tournament as co-hosts, have had plenty of time to prepare and they come into the competition in excellent form.
I’m going to bet with the head rather than the heart here and suggest Mexico win this game, although I would be surprised if it becomes a runaway result.
Something like a 2-0 or 2-1 scoreline appeals, but I lean towards the former given Mexico’s defensive strength of late and South Africa’s recent struggles in front of goal.
Betting Angles
- Mexico win at 1.44
- Correct Score: Mexico 2-0 South Africa at 6.25
- First Goalscorer: Raúl Jiménez (Mexico) at 5.50
- Match Result and Both Teams to Score: Mexico and No at 2.05
Suggested Bet
- Match Result and Both Teams to Score: Mexico and No at 2.05
Look out for our betting previews every day during the World Cup group stages.
Korea Republic v Czechia – World Cup Match Two
In Korea Republic v Czechia, in the early hours of Friday morning South African time, Korea Republic and Czechia meet in a crucial Group A clash.
The current betting sees Korea Republic trading at 2.60, with the draw at 3.25 and Czechia at 2.90.
With Mexico firm favourites to win the group, this becomes a critical encounter in the race for qualification to the knockout stages.
You can click here to bet on the match.
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
