World Cup: Mexico vs Cameroon preview

World Cup: Mexico vs Cameroon preview
The Group A outsiders face each other in their first match, a victory in this game is a must for either of the two teams if they want to have a real chance of advancing past the group stage. The match takes place this Friday at Arena das Dunas. Brazil are the clear favourites to win Group A and Croatia are the most likely candidates to take second spot in the group, so Mexico and Cameroon have to give their absolute best in their opening match. Mexico will most likely field a starting 11 that includes only four players from the team that started one year ago in the Confederations Cup. Coach Miguel Herrera has set up a 5-3-2 system with 35-year old veteran Rafael Márquez at the heart of the five-man defence. Mexico don't lack quality in attack either, with Olympic gold medal heroes Oribe Peralta and Giovani Dos Santos plus Manchester United's Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández. But the Mexicans lost Juan Carlos Medina and Luis Montes to injuries in the weeks leading to the tournament, forcing coach Herrera to to find a new midfield formula with Bayer Leverkusen's Andrés Guardado, Porto's Héctor Herrera and the inexperienced José Juan Vázquez. German coach Volker Finke was given the Cameroon job in May 2013 and his choice is a 4-3-3 formation. Veteran captain Samuel Eto'o will be leading the attack while wingers Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Moukandjo are in charge of creating chances for him. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Mexico win - 5/4 Draw - 11/5 Cameroon win - 14/5
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