For the first time on the international stage Mexico and Qatar will meet with plenty at stake on matchday three at the Gold Cup on Sunday from Levi's Stadium.

The Mexicans are virtually assured of first place in the group following a 3-1 victory over Haiti, while the 2022 World Cup hosts need a win and some help to advance, having drawn their previous encounter 1-1 with Honduras.

Match preview

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A coaching change ahead of this competition seems to have breathed new life into El Tri, who look energized and dominant with two victories under Jaime Lozano.

With seven goals in two games, the Mexicans have found the back of the net one more time than they managed in their previous five contests combined under former boss Diego Cocca.

Following an opening victory versus Honduras, El Tri had already equalled their entire goal output from the 2021 Gold Cup group stage, when they only scored four times in three matches.

Their two victories in this competition have assured them of a spot in the quarter-finals, while only a defeat by seven or more goals and a win by Haiti will prevent them from clinching first place in their group for a fourth successive occasion at the Gold Cup.

Mexico are unbeaten in 16 consecutive group fixtures at this tournament, a streak which dates back to 2013 following a 2-1 defeat versus Panama in their opening fixture that year.

While El Tri did not look all that dominant at the most recent CONCACAF Nations League tournament, they have not had much difficulty versus Asian opponents over the years, winning every match played against that region since 2007.

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Another late defensive lapse on matchday two has Qatar in danger of missing the knockout stage of this competition for the first time.

Carlos Queiroz has seen his side concede all three goals in this competition in stoppage time, two of which cost them points, losing the opener thanks to a late second-half strike while allowing the Hondurans to equalise on the last kick of the match earlier this week.

They will need Honduras to earn a result on Sunday to have any hope of advancing, while the Maroons must take care of business themselves, with the simplest scenario being a win along and a victory by Los Catrachos, which would see Qatar move on.

This group have drawn or lost three of their five matches played this year when scoring the opener, losing on two of those occasions.

Since their inaugural Gold Cup journey ended at the semi-final stage two years ago, the Maroons have failed to triumph in four of their previous five meetings versus CONCACAF opponents.

Finding that insurance marker could be the key to ending their winless drought, as Qatar have won 11 successive fixtures when netting multiple times.

Team News

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Lozano went with the same starting 11 for the Mexicans on Thursday, while Julian Araujo made his first appearance at the Gold Cup this year from the substitutes bench, replacing Jorge Sanchez after an hour of play.

Henry Martin scored the winner for El Tri early in the second half against Haiti, his eighth for the national team, an own-goal courtesy of Ricardo Ade made it 2-0 before Santiago Gimenez notched his first-ever strike at this tournament and the third of his international career.

Luis Romo is tied for second in goals at the Gold Cup as he, Djordje Mihailovic and Demarai Gray have all netted twice, while Guillermo Ochoa can collect his 140th cap with Mexico this weekend, which would put him within six of Gerardo Torrado for fifth all-time.

Qatar will be without Yusuf Abdurisag for this encounter following his late red card on Thursday, while Queiroz added three newcomers to his starting 11 on matchday two, including Ali Assadalla, Tameem Al-Abdullah and Mohammed Waad.

Al-Abdullah gave his side the lead seven minutes into their fixture against Honduras, while Almoez Ali, the top goalscorer at this tournament two years ago, has yet to feature at the Gold Cup in 2023.

Mahdi Salem is still seeking their first caps with the senior side, while Abdullah Marafee started for the first time when their matches against New Zealand was abandoned in June, his only cap to date with the Maroons.

Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Araujo, Alvarez, Vazsquez, Gallardo; Alvarado, Rodriguez, Romo; Lainez, Martin, Antuna

Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham; Al-Rawi, Suhail, Salman, Ahmed; Fatehi, Meshaal; Madibo, Waad, Gaber; Al-Abdullah

We say: Mexico 2-0 Qatar

While they have started well in both of their Gold Cup encounters, Qatar have not been able to deliver that killer blow, and they tend to lose their focus at the most inopportune moment.

Mexico have looked like a different team since Lozano took over, and even though they are already assured of a place in the last eight, we expect to see another inspired performance from El Tri, who seem to have regained their confidence.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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