Mexico vs Czechia

By matchday three, the group-stage calculus is usually brutal, and Mexico versus Czechia could arrive carrying qualification implications that sharpen every tackle. These two have met six times since the Czech Republic gained independence, with Mexico holding a slight edge — three wins to the Czechs' two, and a draw. A 2018 friendly in Vienna finished 1-0 to Mexico, and a 2000 friendly in Prague went 2-1 the other way. Aguirre's problem, should Mexico already have six points, is rotation. El Tri's squad depth has been their trademark, but the Azteca altitude and group-stage congestion mean that key players may be rested — a risk against a Czech side that will not roll over.

If qualification is still in doubt, expect Mexico to come out in their full 4-3-3 press, with Santiago Giménez leading the line. Czechia's response will be measured: Koubek's 3-4-3 drops into a mid-block without the ball, inviting Mexico into congested central areas before springing transitions through Barák and Patrick Schick's movement between the centre-backs. Mexico's round-of-16 curse is well documented; what is less discussed is their tendency to tighten up in pivotal group-stage matches.

If Aguirre's side approach this like a practice match, Czechia will punish them.