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Mexico Under-20s will take on Italy Under-20s in the first group match of this year’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland.
Italy are favourites to win the group, though this should be questioned when looking at their recent results, while Mexico have a squad filled with attacking flair that could be a real problem for the European side.
Mexico stormed through qualifying, with 8-0 and 10-0 wins over Granada and Aruba respectively, while Italy have struggled recently, losing their last three matches, and they have failed to score in the most recent two.
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| Game | Mexico U20 vs Italy U20 |
| Date | Thursday, May 23 |
| Time | 5:00pm BST / 12:00pm ET |
| Stream (US Only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox Sports 2 | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Free Sports. It can be streamed via FIFA.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Free Sports | FIFA |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Mexico squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Higuera, L.Lopez, Alonzo |
| Defenders | Alvarez, Sepulveda, Orona, Cardenas, Trejo, Leon, |
| Midfielders | Torres, Hernandez, Dominguez, Lainez, Plascencia, Meraz, Gutierrez, Figueroa, Lozano |
| Forwards | Mascias, de la Rosa, D.Lopez |
Mexico coach Diego Ramirez has a fully-fit side, and will be looking to get off to a flying start, with Diego Lainez being the man to look out for, after FIFA named him in their list of 10 players set to star in the tournament.
Confirmed Mexico starting XI: Higuera, Alvarez, Sepulveda, Cardenas, Leon, Orona, Meraz, Dominguez, Lainez, De la Rosa, Mascias
| Position | Italy squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Plizzari, Carnesecchi, Loria |
| Defenders | Candela, Tripaldelli, Gabbia, Buongiorno, Bettella, Bellanova, Del Prato, Ranieri, Pellegrini |
| Midfielders | Frattesi, Colpani, Alberico, Esposito |
| Forwards | Pinamonti, Capone, Scamacca, Gori, Olivieri |
Italy boss Paolo Nicolato has risen through the ranks of the national set-up, managing the Under-18 and Under-19 squads previously and, with a fully-fit squad, he will be hoping to show why he has had such good career progress. He also needs to show Italy’s last few results were just pre-World Cup jitters.
Confirmed Italy starting XI: Plizzari, Del Prato, Pellegrini, Tripaldelli, Ranieri, Bellanova, Frattesi, Gabbia, Esposito, Pinamonti, Scamacca.
Betting & Match Odds
Italy are the favourites at 11/8 on Bet365 , while Mexico can be backed at 11/5, while a draw is priced at 21/10.
For both teams to score, half time/full time and other markets click here
Match Preview
This is a match between two of the group’s favourites and, if either side drop points here, it will dramatically reduce their chances of getting through to the next round.
Japan and Ecuador – who won the Under-20 Copa America in February – are the other two sides in Group B, and both have really strong squads that could very well make it through to the next round of the tournament.
Italy have had a stumble coming into the competition after losing their last three matches, failing to score in the last two, while conceding 13 goals in their last nine games, but they still have a good pedigree, with the side finishing as runners-up in the Under-19 Euros last year.
This will give the Mexico squad, who scored for fun in qualifying, some confidence knowing that their opponents have a questionable defence, especially when they have the likes of Diego Lainez in their side.
Diego Ramirez has a few players in his squad who will be feeling the effects of jet lag, but is confident about his sides chances against Italy: “The fact that some players have arrived late, the rest of the group has kept working on a very clear idea of the game, in our system and our convictions of the game as a whole.
“Without a doubt, one day is little, but the most important thing is to take into account the present and fortunately we are complete today. We forget the rest of the preparation and we feel confident to face a good match.”
Mexico’s Lainez is the man fans need to keep an eye on, with the youngster making 12 appearances in La Liga this season, as well as two appearances in the Europa League, where he scored in Real Betis’ 3-3 draw with Rennes, whilst he has also made four appearances for Mexico’s full international side.
The key man for Italy will be Alessandro Plizzari, who will need to show that he is deserving of the starting goalkeeper role, and that he can command his defence to get them working the way he needs them to.
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