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We are now just days away from the start of the Copa America Centenario, and on Saturday, the Mexico national team set in motion the first of two warm-up friendlies ahead of their June 5 debut against Uruguay. El Tri will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Paraguay national team.
Juan Carlos Osorio has just two outings to get his team ready for this summer's tournament, and over his shoulder will be the pressure of having a good Copa America.
Osorio, however, will only be thinking about the resources available for the Paraguay game, as several players are still unavailable and coming back from vacation. In these circumstances, Osorio is expected to stick with the experience of Rafael Marquez and Andres Guardado, while Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez may see just a few minutes of playing time.
On the other hand, Paraguay have a full squad. La Albirroja are a bold and resilient side, and a disciplined defense and midfield will clearly be a priority for coach Ramon Diaz.
Diaz also has the experience of coaching in Liga MX, and five of Paraguay's potential starters play professionally in Mexico.
As such, El Tri will have to beware of La Albirroja's strengths. A 17-game unbeaten streak will undoubtedly ignite confidence, and a positive result here would be the ideal way to start a busy summer for the Mexico national team.
Match date/time: Saturday 5:30pm EST, 5:30pm local
Venue: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Univision (US - Spanish), Univision Deportes Network (US- Spanish), Fox Sports 1 (US - English), Azteca 13 Mexico), UnivisionTDN (Mexico), TDN (Mexico), Canal de las Estrellas (Mexico).
Streaming: FOX Sports Go, Univision Deportes En Vivo, fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription)