Two World Cup squads will meet in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Friday night, with neither of them wanting to lose.
For Portugal, they return to Gillette Stadium, where last year they were defeated by Brazil. This time around, Paulo Bento’s side will be without Pepe, Raul Meireles and even Cristiano Ronaldo. All three are recovering from injuries, and the Portuguese Federation decided to leave them in New Jersey, where the Lusitanos will take on the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday night.
Without Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal will have to find a difference maker elsewhere. The Real Madrid star has been playing through what appears to be tendinitis, and his availability for the opening match against Germany is still up in the air.
They arrive in the United States fresh off a scoreless draw against Greece at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal. A good performance that they can build on, but if they are going to cause any problems in Brazil, they will need the likes of Eder, Hugo Almeida and Helder Postiga to start scoring.
Friday’s match will give Paulo Bento another opportunity to test his options, ahead of their final preparation match on Tuesday. Knowing that Ronaldo’s injury could be problematic, the Portuguese manager will need to have a plan B if the captain is unavailable.
For Mexico, whether they use plan a, b or c, all they will care about is putting on a good performance against a top 10 nation according to the latest rankings.
A 0-1 defeat at the hands of Bosnia will have Miguel Herrera frustrated, but given the ups and downs they have had over the last year and a half, Mexican fans will be hopeful in Brazil.
Since the arrival of Herrera, the squad looks more lively and offensive minded, but on the big stage, they will need to learn to deal with the pressure. The Mexican fans expect a lot from El Tri, but putting it all together is not always easy for them.
Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez will be the focal point for Mexico, and after having a season to forget at the club level, he will hope that he can return to good form.
Both sides will be expected to put on a good showing Friday night, in front of a large crowd that could feature an equal amount of Portuguese and Mexican fans. The area is heavily populated with emigrants of both countries, which should make for an exciting atmosphere in the stadium.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Mexico vs Portugal live on Friday, June 6, 2014:
In Canada at 20:30 ET on: RTP Internacional »live stream
In the UK at 01:30 BST (Saturday) on: RTP Internacional »live stream
In the USA at 20:30 ET on: Futbol de Primera Radio, Watch ESPN, Univision Deportes, RTP Internacional »live stream, ESPN2, UniMás
If you are outside these viewing areas and want to watch this match between two top footballing nations, be sure to visit the Mexico vs Portugal match page for full TV listings.
