The Mexican national team returns to the international stage on Thursday, with a visit from CONCACAF rival Honduras scheduled for 9 p.m. ET in Chiapas. On Wednesday, head coach Miguel Herrera named the starting XI charged with opening the 2018 World Cup cycle with a victory on home soil.
Per Ruben Rodriguez (via Twitter), El Tri's projected lineup is as follows (5-3-2): Ochoa; Paul, Dominguez, Alanis, Perez, Layun; Rios, Herrera, Fabian; Peralta, Chicharito.
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Captaining the new era of Mexican football is goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The surprise inclusion, however, is that of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. The 26-year-old has seen additional playing time since joining Real Madrid from Manchester United, opening his club account with a brace against Deportivo La Coruña in September.
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Now, he turns to his national team to continue his momentous form. A standout performance on Thursday would see Hernandez return to the forefront of Mexican football. The 26-year-old has everything to gain on Thursday.
The same cannot be said for the Mexican national team—at least not according to Herrera.
"We have very little to gain and everything to lose in these games [against Honduras and Panama]," he said (via Universal). "They're games that not even we want to play in. Hopefully, [our opposition] play it as a friendly, but we know it's not going to be that way."
"We need to be serious and give it our all," Herrera added. "We'll be cautious, but we're going out there to win."
With a formidable starting XI prepared to battle in Chiapas, Mexico are in a position to do just that.
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