The CONCACAF Gold Cup is right around the corner, but before Mexico and Honduras head off to their respective American cities for those matches, they'll have to face each other in their final prep match for that tournament first in Houston.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Mexico, a team which is favored in just about every match it plays against non-American CONCACAF teams, should once again be favored in this fixture as well. However, the margin isn't likely to be quite as emphatic as it usually has been when these two sides have met.
Honduras actually hasn't been favored against Mexico in a match in over a decade. That said, we expect to see a moneyline price on El Tri of somewhere around -150, a far cry from the -300 we saw just 10 months ago when these two teams duked it out.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I enjoy the wins and the losses. This is a great job, and sometimes you have to think about it, that it is a good job. Sometimes, you're not going to have good results, but you just have to keep moving forward." – Mexico manager Miguel Herrera on his job security coming into this match
RECENT FORM
The Mexican soccer federation has been known to have a quick trigger when it comes to firing managers, and there is a lot of speculation that a poor match here against Honduras could spell the end of Herrera in charge of El Tri in spite of the fact that the Gold Cup is a week away from starting.
That said, it would be tough to see any reason to keep Herrera at that point. Since the World Cup in 2014, there really hasn't been much to be proud of if you're a fan of Mexican soccer. The team has gone winless in six straight matches, including going out of the Copa America in just three matches, albeit against a tough group featuring Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.
Mexico's last win came against Guatemala on May 30, and in that span, it is 0-2-4.
Honduras really had to fight just to get into the Gold Cup, needing to come back from down 3-1 to French Guiana in the second leg of a home-and-home set to reach the tourney.
Since then though, the Hondurans have been flying. Not only did they beat French Guiana 3-0 to get through, but they are 2-1-1 in their last four matches, including taking a very strong 2-2 draw against Paraguay down in Asuncion and a reasonable 1-0 loss to Brazil in Porto Alegre.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This is a really tough matchup for Honduras, especially with so much on the line here for Mexico heading into the Gold Cup.
During a match last week in Orlando against Costa Rica, Herrera switched from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 formation, which could be an interesting item to watch in this match.
If a weakened Costa Rican side was able to dominate much of the possession last week, Honduras could do the same thing, especially since Anthony Lozano and Jerry Bengston are in such great form striking the ball.
Let's keep in mind that the Mexicans have had major problems at the back, most notably the communication between the back line and goalie Guillermo Ochoa. Ochoa was terrible against Los Ticos in Orlando, and a similar performance could see an even worse result than that 2-2 draw.
Honduras will have to make sure to slow down Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos in this one, but if it is able to keep the Mexicans off of the ball in threatening positions, there is a real chance that this match ends on level terms.
Honduras 1, Mexico 1
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Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Mexico and Honduras will take place at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
