Tournament host Brazil faces off against might Mexico today, and the Brazilian soccer giant knows better than to cast off the Mexicans like a bunch of annoying Mosquitoes.
Truth be told, no other team has beaten Brazil more in the 21st century than Mexico.
Both Group A leaders have room for optimism after their first World Cup games, and both have plans to continue success.
The match will kick off at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza at 3 p.m. ET.
ESPN will offer a live stream, and you can access it by clicking here.
In past meetings, both teams have found a path to victory at various times. In fact, as a surprise to most, out of the last 13 meetings, Mexico has won 7.
Brazil won the last meeting, 2-0 during last year's Confederate Cup. Before that, Mexico has beaten Brazil in big games also, most notably during the Gold Medal Game of the 2012 Olympics. The Brazilians have never won the Gold at any Olympic soccer tournament. Many of the players from Mexico's Olympic championship squad was on the field for the match, and will use that as a confidence builder for this game.
Mexico, in contrast to Brazil's sputters in the opening game, played a great opener, winning over Cameroon 1-0, but it could have been 3-0, as El Tri scored two more times, but those goals were disallowed by the referee. The Mexican players will be using that to fuel them, also.
New injury concerns cropped up for Brazil on Sunday when forward Hulk pulled up in training with an apparent muscle injury. His availability for today's game is in doubt, though the striker insisted he will be in good shape. His injury issues could force Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to shuffle his lineup.
The young Mexican team is strengthened by their opening game, after barely sliding into the World Cup. The same can't be assuredly said about the Brazilian squad who always feels the pressure of high expectations. Today's matchup should be a great one to watch.
Prediction: Mexico will stun everyone but themselves with a 3-2 victory.
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