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Mexico has never been able to beat Germany in an official game. On Thursday, El Tri will look to finally vanquish their demons when they take on the current World Cup champions in the semifinals of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
If there is good news for Mexico it is that they arrive to this game as the more experienced team. German coach Joachim Low has opted to take an alternative side for this tournament, choosing to leave several of his star players home.
That’s where the advantage for Mexico ends, however. The majority of the German team is full of bright Bundesliga talent, including the likes of PSG wide-man Julian Draxler and Liverpool midfielder Emre Can. Mexico will also be without Andres Guardado in the midfield and Diego Reyes and Carlos Salcedo in the defense, absences that will no doubt make this task a lot tougher for El Tri.
So often under Juan Carlos Osorio has the Mexico national team been able to defy the odds in situations and venues that were otherwise historically difficult to win at. Under Osorio’s tenure, Mexico has been able to end negative streaks against Canada, Honduras, and the United States. Germany, though, represents a completely different monster, a team out of the CONCACAF region and the current World Cup champs. That said, Mexico has a knack of playing up to their opponent’s level, and to say this game is unwinnable for them would be a mistake. Mexico are long overdue for a defining victory at the international stage. Will this be the one?
Date: Thursday June 29
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific, 01:00 PM Central, 02:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia
Television: Telemundo (US-Spanish), Fox Sports 2 (US-English), UnivisionTDN (Mexico), TDN (Mexico), SKY Planeta Fútbol (Mexico), TDN (Mexico), Sky HD (Mexico)
Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Fox Sports GO, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo