El Tri are hoping for a bright result from Gerardo Martino’s first game as they take on Reinaldo Rueda in California
Gerardo Martino commences his career as Mexico coach this weekend when his side take on Chile in the first part of their USA tour.
El Tri take on Reinaldo Rueda’s side in San Diego, California and will be hoping for a good start under their new coach, who took over after a successful spell with Atlanta United in the USA.
Mexico approach this game looking for a massive improvement on their run of seven defeats from their last eight matches, but they face a difficult test against a strong La Roja side.
| Game | Mexico vs Chile |
| Date | Saturday, March 23 |
| Time | 2:15am GMT / 10:15pm |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes USA | fuboTV |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
| Position | Mexico squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gudino, Ochoa, Gonzalez |
| Defenders | Alvarez, Araujo, Layun, Montes, Moreno, Reyes, Salcedo, Sanchez, Luis Rodriguez |
| Midfielders | Dos Santos, Gallardo, Guardado, Gutierrez, Guzman, Lainez, Montes, Carlos Rodriguez, Vazquez, Alvarado |
| Forwards | Brizuela, Hernandez, Jimenez, Lozano, Pizarro, Vega |
Although Martino expected to have Jesus Corona available after calling him up, the winger will not feature this week after complaining of an ankle injury following his latest game for Porto.
But Corona has since cancelled his plan to travel to join up with the squad and will not feature against La Roja or in the next game against Paraguay on Wednesday.
Potential Mexico starting XI: Ochoa, Layun, Reyes, Moreno, Salcedo, Gutierrez, Guardado, Brizuela, Guzman, Lozano, Chicharito.
| Position | Chile squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Arias, Cortes, Vigouroux |
| Defenders | Medel, Jara, Isla, Mena, Diaz, Maripan, Lichnovsky, Vegas, Opazo |
| Midfielders | Vidal, Aranguiz, Hernandez, Pulgar, Valdes, Martinez, Pavez, Meneses |
| Forwards | Castillo, Rubio, Mora, Morales |
Chile coach Reinaldo Rueda has chosen an experienced squad which he says is close to the balance and quality he is looking for and has no big injury concerns ahead of this clash.
Potential Chile starting XI: Cortes, Isla, Jara, Maripan, Mena, Medel, Vidal, Hernandez, Aranguiz, Castillo, Rubio.
Mexico are favourites to win at 7/5 with bet365. Chile are rated 2/1 to stage an upset and a draw is priced 11/5.
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After seven defeats and a single win from their last eight matches, Mexico have turned to Tata Martino to whip the national team into shape.
While Carlos Vela and Jesus Corona are not part of the squad, the former Barcelona and Argentina boss has picked a strong group of players to start his new role.
Javier Hernandez, Hirving Lozano and Raul Jimenez are all present, ensuring El Tri have dangerous options to line up in attack against a team they have a terrible record against.
Mexico have beaten Chile just once – a 2016 friendly – in the last five matches between these two teams.
“I would like to say that we are going to see a team that is going to have a great performance, I would not be saying the right thing,” Martino told reporters. “But also, I am very excited that we can see a part of what we want on the field.
“[There has been] a lot of commitment, desire, desire to be here, work with a lot of dedication and at a hundred percent, but it is very difficult not to find that in a process that is just beginning, then the players have aspirations and desires to be here and this is the way in which they have to work if they want a place in the team.”
And Martino plans on using a 4-3-3, sticking to his preferred system from his days at Barcelona and Argentina.
“It’s a system that I like, that I’ve played a lot in recent years and I think we can find the right players to deploy it,” he added. “What I think is necessary is first to strengthen the way we play and then start applying the different changes necessary depending on the characteristics of the opponent.”
