Jaime Lozano will expect his Mexican side to perform better than in their first group match at 2024 Copa América. Against Jamaica in Houston, El Tri won their Group B game 1-0, but were unconvincing. Last Word on Football reveals the Mexico predicted 2024 Copa América lineup vs Venezuela.
Mexico Predicted 2024 Copa América Lineup vs Venezuela
How Mexico Have Lined Up Recently
Somewhat surprisingly manager Jaime Lozano switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Reggae Boyz. The last time he had used this formation the Mexicans were thumped 4-0 by Uruguay. While the 4-3-3 formation saw Mexico push Brazil all the way in their last warm-up game before Copa América.
One of the few Mexico players to come out of the Jamaica victory with any credit was goalkeeper Julio González. So much so that Lozano’s goalkeeping dilemma looks to have been solved. The defence performed well enough to mean that it’s likely to be unchanged from the previous outing. With Houston goal hero Gerardo Arteaga and Jorge Sánchez as full-backs. Johan Vásquez and César Montes will remain as the two centre-backs.
Read More: Copa America Group A and B Predictions Including Venezuela vs Mexico
Midfield and forward areas are more of a problem for Lozano, as both areas underperformed against Jamaica. While things have been made more complicated by the injury to Edson Álvarez. Consequently, there are likely to be changes in these two areas. Monterrey’s Luis Romo is likely to come in for Álvarez and Orbelín Pineda of AEK Athens replacing Érick Sánchez. Pineda offers versatility as he can also play as a winger.
In attack, the disappointing Uriel Antuna could be replaced by Alexis Vega of Toluca on the right. Vega can also play as a forward. So the Mexican frontline could be fluid with Vega playing upfront with striker Santiago Giménez and Julián Quiñones on the left.
Mexico’s Recent Form and Tactics
Mexico’s recent form hasn’t been very good, and so their performance against Jamaica was in keeping with that. Lozano will be hoping that his side, like many successful tournament teams of the past, will improve after a mediocre start. For the Mexicans game against Venezuela it’ll be a surprise if the panic button is pushed this early.
Read More: Three Key Takeaways from Mexico vs. Jamaica
A 4-3-3 system worked well in an attacking sense against Brazil. So, on paper, it should be even more effective against La Vinotinto, who have never beaten the Mexicans in thirteen previous attempts. But Venezuela won’t be a pushover. They will also have been buoyed by their 2-1 win over Ecuador in their opening game of the tournament.
Lozano has often changed his formation recently, and he may go back to 4-3-3 for the game at the SoFi Stadium. Especially as El Tri was more troubled by Jamaica’s forwards than was expected when the 4-2-3-1 system was utilised. The manager will be looking for more penetration down the flanks this time, and better service to Giménez. He’ll also expect greater creativity in midfield. Against the Jamaican squad, Mexico too often resorted to long shots, due to their inability to create many clear-cut chances.
Mexico Injuries to Consider
Álvarez’s early departure in the previous fixture is a major worry. He is El Tri’s most influential player, and their captain. Without him for most of their first match, they struggled. It would seem a risk to play Álvarez against Venezuela, even if the injury is not as bad as was first feared. His absence will mean that El Tri loses a major asset both defensively and offensively.
Mexico Predicted Lineup
GK – J. Gonzalez
RB – J. Sánchez
CB – Montes
CB – Vasquez
LB – Arteaga
DM – Romo
CM – Pineda
CM – Chavez
RW – Vega
ST – Gimenez
LW – Quinones
