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The much anticipated Mexico vs New Zealand FIFA Intercontinental Playoff series will begin this Wednesday, November 13, 2013 (12:15 PM Pacific) at the historic Estadio Azteca. The ‘tricolor’ and the ‘All Whites’ will look to take a huge step towards Brazil 2014 when they face-off in what will be a highly contested match in Mexico City. While Mexico is the huge favorite to earn the ticket into the World Cup, New Zealand will attempt to take advantage of the controversies surrounding ‘el tri’ since the ‘Miracle in Panama’ one month ago.
Related: What New Zealand fans need to know ahead of the match against Mexico
For Mexico it is now or never…one more time
The time has come for the Mexican national team to change its course. This whole year, the ‘tricolor’ has played well under their expectations, to the point where the team had four coaches within a month. Also, the fans are split about their team; many are angry and do not expect, nor want Mexico to defeat New Zealand and reach the World Cup. Therefore, this Wednesday, the team coached by Miguel Herrera has the power in his hands to direct Mexico into a brighter future.
Related: Mexico Roster Against New Zealand
Mexico will host the ‘All Whites’ in a match where losing, tying, and even winning by a single goal is not an option. With a Club America-based squad and coaching staff, ‘el tri’ will have the pressure to earn a win which will give them the advantage when they travel to Wellington for the second-leg match. As the clear favorite to win the intercontinental playoff, Mexico will play with a 5-3-2 formation, using the speed of their defensive wingers on the attack.
The ‘All Whites’ will play against the odds
Like Mexico, the ‘All Whites’ have a huge amount of pressure to perform well this Wednesday. They will face a team that is ranked much higher in FIFA (Mexico ranked 24; New Zealand 79), who has better talent, and who is considered a top nation in world competitions. Nonetheless, the team coached by Ricki Herbert is prepared for one of the biggest tests in their soccer history.
Related: New Zealand Roster Against Mexico
In order to gather at least a point at the ‘Azteca’, New Zealand will play extremely defensively, with a ‘park-the-bus’ system which CONCACAF teams use against Mexico. That will allow the ‘kiwis’ to play on the counter-attack while using their height on set-pieces as their biggest weapon.
Mexico vs New Zealand Prediction
The Mexico vs New Zealand first-leg match will be played in a wonderful atmosphere at one of the most historic places of world soccer. In front of over 105,000 fans, Mexico will attempt to gain advantage of their crowd support, as well as the high Mexico City altitude. New Zealand on the other hand will have to endure to the difficult circumstances, where a result of a tie or a loss by 1 goal will be seen as positive for the ‘All Whites’.
The ‘tricolor’ has a lot of pressure to win this match, and by many goals. They want the fans to forget the disastrous performances from the previous CONCACAF qualifiers. Therefore, this Wednesday Mexico will play intelligently but highly offensive. Expect ‘el tri’ to dominate the game, and if they score within the first 15 minutes, the series could be decided at the Azteca stadium. The Mexico vs New Zealand match will end in a 3-0 win for the CONCACAF team.
Mexico vs New Zealand TV Schedule
The Mexico vs New Zealand match will be televised this Wednesday, November 13, 2013 on ESPN and Unimas at 12:15 PM Pacific. The game will be televised in New Zealand also LIVE on November 14, at 9:30 AM NZT on SKY Sports 2.
Mexico vs New Zealand Highlights
The Mexico vs New Zealand game highlights will be uploaded as soon as the match ends.
