World Cup co-hosts Mexico open the tournament against South Africa at Estadio Azteca on Thursday and will hope to get off to a winning start.
The two sides meet in Group A and El Tri will be determined to kick off with a win on home soil.
Mexico qualified for the World Cup automatically as co-hosts and have played a season of international friendlies in preparation for the competition, beating Serbia 5-1 on Friday in their final practice game.
South Africa, meanwhile, defeated Jamaica 1-0 in Pachuca on Saturday and will hope they can earn another victory when they take to the field at the iconic Estadio Azteca for this tournament opener.
Mexico v South Africa Bet Builder Tips
Co-hosts to enjoy winning start
Mexico’s friendly win over Serbia extended Javier Aguirre’s team’s unbeaten run to eight matches.
Six of those games have been victories and so El Tri will be confident heading into Thursday’s clash.
While they have only played friendlies, having not needed to play qualifiers due to co-hosting the World Cup, El Tri have played regularly and clicked at the right time.
Bafana Bafana have lost three of their last seven games, which includes Africa Cup of Nations matches, and are underdogs here.
With Mexico also enjoying home advantage and many thousands of supporters backing them in person, backing an El Tri win in the World Cup betting could prove a smart move.
Leg 1: Mexico to win @ 3/8
Opening game nerves to make for tight contest
Interestingly, Mexico versus South Africa is a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener when Bafana Bafana hosted the competition.
That game, played at Soccer City in Johannesburg, ended in a 1-1 draw and Thursday could prove to be another tight encounter.
While Mexico should boast enough quality to win on the day, the game likely won’t be a goalfest as El Tri deal with the pressure and weight of expectation on home soil.
The 5-1 scoreline over Serbia is an anomaly for Mexico in recent months, with four of their last five games featuring two goals or fewer.
Three of South Africa’s last four matches have also featured two goals or fewer, so backing under 2.5 goals on Thursday may be a wise pick.
Leg 2: Under 2.5 goals @ 4/6
Jimenez to add to Mexico goal tally
Only two players have netted more goals for Mexico than Raul Jimenez, as with 43 goals to his name, only Jared Borgetti (46) and Javier Hernandez (52) stand ahead of him.
The 35-year-old heads to the World Cup in good form having scored nine goals in 36 Premier League appearances for Fulham this season.
Jimenez also found the net in Friday’s comprehensive win over Serbia, converted from the spot against Paraguay in November and also opened the scoring in September’s friendly with South Korea.
Should Jimenez enjoy a fruitful tournament, the striker could fire Mexico into the knockout rounds and become his country’s second all-time top goalscorer in the process.
Leg 3: Raul Jimenez anytime goalscorer @ 11/8
