Heading into Copa America, conventional wisdom was that Mexico would need to beat Bolivia in their opening match to have a good chance to progress to the knockout stages. They failed to do so, and now they’re in trouble. They’ll need to pull off an upset win over their next two games, and first up is the hosts, Chile.
Chile vs. Mexico, Copa America 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
El Tri have to win one of their next two, and they’re big underdogs here.
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While they weren’t spectacular against Ecuador in their first game, Chile performed well enough to record a shutout victory, which is more than can be said for fellow favorites Argentina and Brazil. La Roja appear to be the best-gelled of all the top teams at this tournament, and they’re big favorites to defeat Mexico and virtually lock up first place in Group A.
El Tri usually reveals their starting XI at least 24 hours before their games, but in a rare move, Miguel Herrera has opted not to do so this time around. Could a wacky lineup be on the cards for Mexico?
Key player: Alexis Sanchez
It’s hard to envision a game in which Chile’s attack functions well without Sanchez looking like their best forward player. Whether he’s scoring or setting up chances, everything goes through him for La Roja. He was threatening, but not at his best against Ecuador, and fans will expect an improved performance against Mexico.
Key matchup: Juan Carlos Medina vs. Arturo Vidal
The link between defense and Sanchez is regularly provided by Arturo Vidal, Chile's world class midfield engine. The man most likely to be tasked with pressuring him is Juan Carlos Medina, who wasn't great against Bolivia in Mexico's opener. This is a massive step up in competition, so Medina will need to be much better.
Match date/time: Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English, Canada), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), Premier Sports (U.K.), Canal 5 Televisa, Azteca 7 (Mexico), Canal 13, TVN (Chile)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada), Premier Player (U.K.), Sky blue to go (Mexico)
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