🇲🇽 ¿Jugará Ochoa? El XI Aguirre planea finalizar la fase de grupos.

Mexico closes out its FIFA World Cup group-stage campaign against Czechia. With top spot in the group and qualification for the next round already fully secured, head coach Javier Aguirre has decided to shake up his tactical board for this match.

In goal, Raúl 'Tala' Rangel will remain between the posts. Although the circumstances seemed ideal for veteran Guillermo Ochoa to return to the starting lineup, there are no signs of that happening. 'El Vasco' trusts Rangel’s strong form and physical attributes to deal with the long crosses from the Czech side, which will look to use its height to cause problems.

Changes in defense and midfield

In defense, rotations are coming as a necessity to give the squad some much-needed breathing room. Jesús Gallardo and Johan Vásquez will start on the bench to get some rest. As a result, center-back César Montes returns to the starting lineup, while youngster Mateo Chávez will take over on the left flank.

The middle of the park will also see noticeable changes to protect players ahead of the next phase. Erik Lira, key to keeping clean sheets in the previous matches, will be rested. He will be replaced by Obed Vargas, who will join Luis Romo and Edson Álvarez in holding midfield.

No risks with Brian Gutiérrez

Finally, the last line of the Mexican attack will have one forced absence. Javier Aguirre confirmed in a press conference that Brian Gutiérrez will not take part in today’s match. The coach stressed that he will not risk any player, as he has a squad of 26 competitive footballers to see out the end of the tournament.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.