The African champions will face off against Mexico on Wednesday in Atlanta in the third instalment of a trilogy.
Act One and Act Two ended in 2-2 stalemates, but what will Act Three bring? For both teams, this game is significant. The Super Eagles, having survived a mini-scare in the play-offs to book a place in Brazil, have problem areas to address. Chronic loss of form and consistent underperformance has left what seemed a stable first eleven with gaps to plug.
Arguably, it will be even more pivotal for Mexico.
El Tri manager Miguel Herrera was parachuted in to salvage the tatters of a wretched Hexagonal, in which Mexico needed late drama in Panama to snag a play-off spot.
He wisely went with the familiar, contesting the play-off against New Zealand with a base of his former players at Club America, lining up in a 3-5-2.
Herrera will have the peculiar task of integrating the European- based contingent into the team of local lads who powered past the Kiwis. How well he does this will determine how Mexico perform in Brazil.
On both sides, there will presumably be some experimentations Standard Liege forward Ezekiel Imoh should earn his first cap, probably from the start in the absence of Brown Ideye, with Michael Uchebo likely to start on the bench. Victor Moses’s Kop nightmare persists, and rumblings in the camp suggest he may be axed for his lack of playing time. This may well be his last chance to prove his relevance to the team.
Mexico have a few injury concerns of their own: Giovani dos
Santos is out, as is Club America’s Miguel Layun, whose three assists in the play-offs mark him out as one to watch at the World Cup. Chivas’ Miguel Ponce, on loan at Toluca, should get a chance at left wing back. Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, being short on match fitness, will feature at some point.
Here are some major hotspots where the game will be won or
lost.
Miguel Ponce/ Andres Guardado vs. Ezekiel Imoh and Paul
Aguilar vs. Victor Moses
If, as expected, Miguel Herrera sticks with his trusted 3-5-2, he will be faced with a concomitant problem: how to contain the wide forwards in the Super Eagles’ 4-3-3. The 2-v-1 on the flanks is already a clear numerical advantage, but he will also have to reckon with the quicksilver Imoh and his breaks in behind.
If Ponce sits too deep, his team loses attacking width and
becomes easier to defend against. Herrera may ask the left-sided centre back to shuttle across, but this could drag Mexico’s back three out of shape. If however, Ponce (or Guardado, who is a much more attacking player) is brave and pushes up, he may get joy running from deep, down Efe Ambrose’s blindside. The Celtic man, a centre back by trade, is not the most spatially-aware full-back in the world.

Culled from Goal.com