(Getty)
Mexico have a chance to shock the world on Sunday in Kazan.
El Tri have been dealing with injuries in the run-up to Russia, but Juan Carlos Osorio has a healthy squad for Sunday. Andres Guardado, Nestor Araujo, and Rafael Marquez were all training with the team in preparation for European champions Portugal, the favorites to advance out of Group A.
Osorio will need his healthy defenders against Ronaldo and Portugal. The European champions have continued their momentum into 2017, where they’ve won their two World Cup qualifiers by a combined 6-0.
Ronaldo is the engine for Portugal, but the Real Madrid star didn’t make headlines for his play last week. He’s been accused of tax evasion in Spain, which led to more speculation surrounding his future at Madrid. Ronaldo has 73 goals for Portugal, more than any man in history.
Mexico have dominated CONCACAF over the last year, but they’ve struggled against top competition. The last team they faced a team ranked as high as Portugal in the FIFA rankings, they were defeated 7-0 by Chile in the Copa America semifinals.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Eastern, and lineups will be posted one hour before kickoff.
Here are the basics:
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 2017
CHANNEL: Fox Sports 1
KICKOFF TIME: 11:00 a.m. Eastern
LOCATION: Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia
LIVE STREAM: Click here for all live streaming information
LINEUP
Mexico: Ochoa, Saicedo, Reyes, Moreno, Layun, Dos Santos, Herrera, Guardado, Vela, Jimenez, Chicharito
Portugal: Patricio, Pepe, , Fonte, Guerreiro, William, Moutinho, Andre Gomes, Quaresma, Nani, Ronaldo