Venezuela vs Mexico

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is the venue as Venezuela and Mexico go head-to-head in a top-table Copa America 2024 Group B six-pointer.

Venezuela fought back from a halftime deficit to beat 10-man Ecuador 2-1 in their Group B opener, commencing their Copa America journey on a winning note against the odds. Another win against Mexico would propel them into the knockouts after flaming out of the group stages in 2021 without winning a game (D2, L2). The last time the two nations met at Copa America was in 2016, with La Vinotinto upsetting the apple cart to claim a 1-1 draw. However, that result forms part of Venezuela’s three-game winless run against the Mexicans (D1, L2)! That’s hardly inspiring, and neither is the fact Fernando Batista’s team had failed to win five internationals on the trot (D3, L2) before dispatching Ecuador last week.

Meanwhile, Mexico needed a slight nudge from VAR and Gerardo Arteaga’s thumping finish from the edge of the box to squeeze past Jamaica 1-0 in their curtain-raising fixture. Beating Jamaica would propel El Tri into the knockout stages, something they’ve done in eight of their ten previous appearances at Copa America. Manager Jaime Lozano will expect nothing less, knowing his men have won all three internationals as pre-match favorites in 2024. Scoring first would be a potentially game-defining moment for Mexico, considering only one of their last 13 competitive internationals has seen both teams on the scoresheet. But three defeats in five lead-up fixtures (W2) paint a bleak picture for Lozano, who still has a point to prove after omitting senior stars such as Raul Jimenez and Hirving Lozano from his Copa America squad.