Our football match prediction:
Mexico
Match Time & Date:
27/06/2018
15:00 GMT
Prediction: 1-1
Sweden
Mexico will be looking to keep their 100% record intact at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals when they take on Sweden at Ekaterinburg Arena. El Tri have been producing thrilling displays at the showpiece tournament in Russia and they are one point away from booking their place in the knockout stages. Javier Hernandez Chicharito opened his goal-scoring account in the 2-1 win over Korea Republic, meaning that the opposition defenders should have him at bay. Sweden, on the other hand, were on the verge of sharing the spoils with Germany in their second group game, but Tony Kroos eventually scored a late winner for the defending champions. As a result, the Nordic side face a must-win situation against Mexico and we predict that they are going to go all guns blazing at El Tri. However, given Mexico’s current form, we do not believe that there is a big value in betting on the Swedes.
Highlighted Player (Javier Hernandez):
Javier Hernandez or Chicharito is a 27-year-old striker who plays for German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. He began his professional career in 2006 playing for the Mexican club Guadalajara. His first break came in 2010, ahead of the FIFA World Cup, when he became the first Mexican player to join the English Premier League side Manchester United. He was very effective at United endearing himself to the fans with some crucial goals. Chicharito played for Real Madrid in 2014-15 season on loan and had limited success with them. But he revived his career with a move to Leverkusen in 2015 with whom he has regained his prolific scoring record. Hernandez carries his prolific form to national colors too. Having made his senior national debut in 2009, Chicharito has 43 goals from 80 games for the national team. He is the second highest goal scorer of all-time for the Mexico national team.
Highlighted Team (Sweden):
Sweden are the most successful Nordic side on international stage having been present at major competitions since 1934. Blagult missed out on the 1952 World Cup trophy on home soil as they were beaten by star-studded Brazil side, while they finished in third place at the 1950 and 1994 tournaments, and finishing fourth on their second appearance in 1938. As far as their European Championship record is concerned, Sweden also achieved their best result in front of home fans, reaching the last four in 1992, and they have since reached the quarter-finals at Euro 1994 in Portugal. Anders Svensson and Thomas Ravelli are team’s most capped players with over 140 appearances each, but it is strikers Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic that will go down as the most famous Swedish footballers in history. The later also leads the goalscoring charts with over 60 strikes for the national team and he is widely regarded as one of the most colourful characters, not only in Scandinavia, but in world football.
