Mexico v Angola preview Betting Preview

If there is one thing that we have all learned from the first round of matches at this year's finals, it is that the perceived underdogs shouldn't be underestimated. Indeed, comparative minnows such as Ecuador, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Trinidad & Tobago have all emerged from their fixtures with superior rivals with heads held high.Mexico also learnt not to be over confident against Iran when, despite recording a 3-1 verdict, they were made to dig deep to collect three points. As such, Ricardo La Volpe's men will be mindful of the potential threat posed by Angola when they clash in Hanover on June 16. Iran took the game to Mexico in the early stages at Nuremberg, but halfway through the first period, El Tricolor began to assert, looking dangerous on the counter attack and generally enjoying the lion's share of possession. After going into the interval level at one apiece, Mexico were still finding it hard to break down the well organised Iranians, that is until La Volpe made an inspired substitution by bringing on Zinha, who immediately set up a goal for Omar Bravo, before applying the cherry to the cake when adding a third himself three minutes later. Ultimately, Mexico's strength proved telling, but it wasn't easy, and Portugal found that beating Angola was not as straightforward as they may have initially anticipated. Luis Oliveira Goncalves' charges looked as though they may be swallowed when Pauletta struck for the Portugese in the fourth minute. However, despite being, as you'd expect, outplayed by their rivals for much of the game, the African side defended well and came close to scoring themselves on a couple of occasions. In losing 1-0, Angola lost little caste in defeat. Angola captain Akwa demonstrated his ability, and nearly equalised with a spectacular overhead kick which hit the crossbar in the 25th minute. The likes of Loco and Mateus also looked dangerous for the Angolans, and they will be growing in confidence. When push comes to shove, however, the Mexicans should win. Their opening match with Iran will have sharpened the south Americans up no end, and the likes of Borgetti and Fonseca will be keen to open their respective accounts in this tournament having both enjoyed a healthy stream of goals during the build up to the finals. I expect Mexico to start this game with more venom than that with which they started against Iran. In essence, they were not giving their rivals the respect they deserved in the early exchanges in their first match, but I'd expect them to be more proactive from the moment the whistle is blown for this encounter. As such, the recommended bet is to latch onto the 11/10 offered by Paddy Power about Mexico/Mexico in the double result market. Admittedly, this isn't a huge price, but most bookmakers have the same bet priced up at odds-on (around the 4/5 mark) and, all in all, it looks a pretty solid punting proposition. Verdict - 2.5pts Mexico/Mexico in the double result market @ 11/10 (Paddy Power)