After the first matchday in Group A, things seem to fall into place between the four teams. Monday's stellar game will feature Chile, the tournament's hosts, who will be facing Mexico in the city of Santiago. The hosts managed to win all three points against Ecuador, while El Tri left confirmed its critics after a not so flattering performance against Bolivia. This match will be crucial for both, since a win could leave them practically with a ticket to the next round.
Chile's form against Ecuador was not as shining as their fans would have hoped, but they managed to win the game with a goal by "The King" Arturo Vidal and a fast-break finish by Eduardo Vargas. The hosts will rely heavily on what Alexis Sanchez can do against El Tri, since his form with Arsenal earned praises all around Europe in his first season with the Gunners. Coach Jorge Sampaoli showed his respect for Mexico, who he said is a team that could make them go through a hard time this Monday.
"Mexico is quite unpredictable. They can hurt us due to their combative nature, something we also have. Furthermore, even though it's not their "A" team, they have top quality players available and they will try to prove that by creating damage in either side of the pitch. Their wingmen are quick and skillful, and we should pay a lot of attention to them to avoid any surprises,"Sampaoli said.
On the other hand, coach Miguel Herrera faces a lot of pressure for the second time in his 18 months as Mexico's coach. Having arrived with barely no chance of making it to the World Cup, Herrera put up a solid squad that ended un playing brilliant football in Brazil. But this time, forced by CONCACAF to call up their best players to the upcoming Gold Cup, Herrera's mixture of experience and youth does not seem to be going quite well. For Monday's game against the hosts, "El Piojo" will try to prove his critics wrong by defeating La Roja.
"Chile is not one of the candidates to win the trophy because they are the hosts, they reached that status given the great team they have right now. Last time we did not have a good match, but we were able to set a few things right. I can't tell who will be starting tomorrow, but I can assure you that the team will be better against Chile," Herrera added.
The hosts will not have Matias Fernandez available, after the midfielder was sent off against Ecuador. Meanwhile, Mexico's captain Rafael Marquez will be benched after coming down with a thigh injury that puts in serious jeopardy his chances of playing again in the tournament.
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