Canada to shock strong favourites Mexico
Canada and CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021 favourites Mexico meet at the NRG Stadium in Houston midweek to see which nation can reach the final of this year's tournament, full in the knowledge of who'll they be facing (either guests Qatar or hosts USA) prior to kick off. The minimum expectation for El Tri when it comes to continental tournaments is to win it, let alone make the showpiece game; they have grown into the competition after a surprising stalemate in their group opener with Trinidad & Tobago, but the story of this summer is undoubtedly their semi-final opponents. Read our preview here:
Junior senior
There are a number of talking points when it comes to the Canucks' sprint to the last four; the emergence of young talent in the squad, the maturity of the senior players who will have one eye on qualification for the World Cup next year, and the injuries they have sustained along the way that have not slowed their momentum one iota. They went toe-to-toe with Costa Rica last week despite having a plethora of starters unavailable and were more than value for their 2-0 triumph. Wide forward Junior Hoilett, unattached at the time of writing after a five-year stint with Welsh giants Cardiff City, was composure personified for the crucial opener, taking a hit in the process. He will need to use all his nous to ensure he and his teammates make the best use of the possession they manage to retain.
Héctor dos
Gerardo Martino's men haven't really been challenged up to this point, but the highly experienced manager will be all too cognisant that, though he will still expect and be expected to turn over his side's adversaries, the difficulty level will increase markedly on Wednesday night, and they need to be watchful against any complacency. The defence and midfield are packed full of technically gifted, seasoned veterans, with skipper Héctor Moreno giving no quarter to the most wily of strikers, and dynamo Héctor Herrera, fresh from helping Atlético Madrid come through the middle of Barcelona and Real Madrid to scoop 2020/2021's La Liga championship, will dictate the tempo in the middle third.
Tap the sap
Nonetheless, Canada's young bucks haven't been cowed at all thus far; indeed, in the dead rubber 1-0 loss against USMNT in the final group game, they had the better chances and the plurality of the ball. All the pressure will still be on Mexico to contest yet another final and defend their crown, but in a sign of things to come, they might just be shocked at the strength of the only other nation north of them on the continent. betway have odds of 5.75 for a result that would really make the football world collectively sit up and take notice.
