The
highest scoring team in the tournament looks to make a statement on Saturday.
Though the other quarter-final on Saturday could go either
way, this meeting between Mexico and Guatemala should end in a comfortable
victory for the Mexicans.
There's no doubt about it: Mexico has been the most dominant
team in this year's edition of the Gold Cup, and by a large margin at that.
Drawn alongside Costa Rica (who play Honduras in their QF), El Salvador and Cuba in Group A,
the tournament favorites had no trouble whatsoever. They won all three games
with a goal difference of plus 13.
The road for Guatemala was slightly more difficult. The
squad was paired with Jamaica, Honduras and Grenada and finished with one win,
one draw and one loss.
The defeat came at the hands of the surprising Jamaicans,
with the victory coming against a lowly Grenada outfit.
Barely getting into this elimination round, the Guatemalans
are now tasked with the unenviable position of facing the tournament's most
prolific squad.
Is there any chance whatsoever of a remarkable upset? We've
already seen the United States get beaten by Panama in the group stages, but in
my opinion no team will be able to stay toe-to-toe with Mexico.
Oddsmakers at Bodog are in agreement, pricing the Mexicans
at a laughable -900 betting odds to capture the victory. As such, Guatemala is the
big-time underdog at +1600 soccer odds to move on to the semi-finals.
Mexico in a class of its own and should win easily
Despite being thoroughly outclassed in the skill department,
the Guatemalans do feature one player who can make things happen.
That would be Marco Pappa, who has been one of the very few
consistent contributors for the Chicago Fire this season. He has been a great
presence in the midfield, making many threatening runs and playing some
fantastic through-balls as well.
Up top, the Philadelphia Union's Carlos Ruiz has also had a
decent year, scoring three times in 10 MLS appearances thus far.
However, let's not shy away from the truth here. Mexico is
on a completely different level and deserves to be much higher than 28th
in the FIFA rankings.
Javier Hernandez has picked up right where he left off from
a successful league campaign with Manchester United. He's already scored five
goals in the tournament, the most of any player.
The Mexicans have really not skipped a beat since being
informed that five of their players had been suspended for taking an illegal
substance. They clearly possess the quality and depth to cope.
Fourteen goals in three games is proof enough of how lethal
this Mexico squad can be, and to side against them here in the quarter-finals
would be borderline insane.
Of course, there is no value whatsoever in a straight up
play on Jose Manuel de la Torre's team, so instead take a look at rolling with
a handicap bet for them to win by at least two goals or even by three.
With Mexico's propensity to score goals seemingly at will, I
would not be surprised in the least to see this team embarrass the Guatemalans
this weekend.
A spot in the semi-finals is essentially a guarantee for
these favorites, and if things continue as they have there's no reason
Chicharito and company should not be hoisting the Gold Cup trophy come June 25.
FREE Pick: Mexico 3 Guatemala 0