Fresh off a disappointing CONCACAF Nations League campaign, Mexico will kick off their pursuit of the Gold Cup silverware when they square off Honduras in the first group stage match at the NRG Stadium in Houston this Sunday.
El Tri are going through a rough patch ahead of the Gold Cup tournament. They failed to impress in the Nations League, with the team suffering a heavy 3-0 loss to their bitter rivals USA in the semi-final.
While they did restore some pride by defeating Panama 1-0 in the third-place match, their fans boycotted that game, and their failure to reach the Nations League final ultimately cost manager Diego Cocca his job.
Whether interim boss Jaime Lozano will be able to make any positive change in the next couple of weeks remains to be seen. Although they are seen as hot favourites to win Monday’s encounter, the mood in the El Tri camp is not the best, with reports that several players expressed their frustrations with the roles they have had during the Nations League.
Luckily for Lozano's men, they play a Honduras side who come into this game low on confidence following dismal performances in the 4-1 loss to Canada in March and the 1-0 loss to Venezuela in a recent friendly.
They also had a horrendous World Cup qualification campaign, which saw them lose 10 of their 14 games and fail to register a single victory. Honduras improved slightly in the Nations League, though, finishing second in their Nations League group with two wins and two defeats.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Mexico vs Honduras kick-off time
| Date: | 25th June 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT |
| Venue: | NRG Stadium |
The match between Mexico and Honduras will be held at the NRG Stadium in Houston, USA at 8 pm Eastern Time (ET)/ 5 pm Pacific Time (PT) on June 25.
How to watch Mexico vs Honduras online - TV channels & live streams
 | FS1 | Watch here |
 | fuboTV | Watch here |
 | Sling TV | Watch here |
The game will be broadcast live on TV on Fox Sports 1 and available to stream live online through fuboTV and Sling TV.
Team news & squads
Mexico team news
Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Raul Jimenez has been left at home as well as several other footballers from major European leagues.
Carlos Acevedo, Sebastian Cordova, and Alexis Vega withdrew from this tournament for Mexico due to their respective injuries, and they will be replaced by Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Roberto Alvarado, and Diego Lainez, respectively.
Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga, both sent off in the Nations League semi-final defeat to the USA, have been given additional suspensions.
Montes is banned for three extra games, meaning he will miss the entire group stage, while Arteaga is banned for two fixtures, so can return against guest nation Qatar on July 2 in Santa Clara.
El Tri still have several stars on their roster, including Feyenoord’s talented striker Santiago Gimenez, experienced goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, new Barcelona defender Julian Araujo, Ajax's midfield enforcer Edson Alvarez, among others.
Former manager Diego Cocca utilised a back three during his brief underwhelming tenure, so it will be interesting to see if Jaime Lozano switches back to a four.
Mexico predicted XI: Ochoa; Araujo, Reyes, Vasquez, Gallardo; Alvarez, Chavez, Pineda; Antuna, Gimenez, Martin.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Ochoa, Jose Rodriguez, Malogon |
| Defenders: | Araujo, Vasquez, Sanchez, Reyes, Guzman, Gallardo |
| Midfielders: | Alvarez, Romo, C. Rodriguez, Lainez, Pineda, Chavez |
| Forwards: | Herrera, Alvarado, Gimenez, Sanchez, Antuna, Martin |
Honduras team news
Defender Carlos Melendez and Chelito Martinez have both been ruled out with injury, with Romell Quioto missing the cut as well because of a hamstring strain.
Diego Vazquez’s Honduras side was last in action ten days ago, when they were beaten by Venezuela in a friendly. The manager is unlikely to make many changes to the starting XI that kicked off the game that night.
Most of Los Catrachos squad ply their trade in Honduras Liga Nacional, with Deiby Flores of Fehervar in Hungary and Rubilio Castillo of Chinese club Nantong Zhiyun two other notable exceptions.
Jerry Bengtson has been recalled for this tournament off the back of the lethal goal-scoring form in the domestic league, with the 36-year-old Olimpia striker having notched four goals at the Gold Cup previously.
Stade Brest winger Alberth Elis is the team’s biggest star and attacking weapon by some distance, and he will be looking to support the veteran striker Bengtson.
Honduras predicted XI: L. Lopez; Nunez, Elvir, Vega, Santos; D. Flores, Acosta; Elis, Rosales, Pinto; Bengtson.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Lopez, Fonseca, Menjivar |
| Defenders: | Nunez, Elvir, L. Vega, Santos, Garcia, Decas, Flores |
| Midfielders: | F. Flores, Acosta, Altamirano, Rosales, Lopez, Alvarez, Pinto, D. Flores, A. Vega |
| Forwards: | Ellis, Castillo, Bengston, Benguche, Solano |
Head-to-Head Record
Mexico have been the dominant force in the history of this matchup, and have won three of the last five head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 28/3/22 | Honduras 0-1 Mexico | World Cup qualification |
| 11/10/21 | Mexico 3-0 Honduras | World Cup qualification |
| 25/7/21 | Mexico 3-0 Honduras | Gold Cup |
| 13/6/21 | Mexico 0-0 Honduras | International Friendly |
| 11/10/17 | Honduras 3-2 Mexico | World Championship qual. CONCACAF |