Both Colombia and Mexico have made back to back World Cup appearances, but neither have ever made it past the group stages. Therefore, both teams are equally determined to make it through to the knockout stages. Being the lowest ranked teams in their group (Group F), can at least one of them make their debut in the knock out stages?
Mexico
The mexicans famously rely on possession of the ball throughout their games, spending most of their time trying to keep it away from the opposing teams. Only 2 of the players are older than 28, which means that although the majority of them should be in their prime and on good form, but there is a lack of experience there.
Leonardo Cuellar, Mexico's coach, has managed the team since 1998 and in his time has overcome very many challenges. He has a lot of experience in coaching the team, which may work in his favour when the time comes.
23 year old forward Charlyn Corral has scored a total of 18 goals in her 30 international caps, and will lead the way for her team with her experience and scoring ability. Alongside Corral, 25 year old midfielder Teresa Noyola will be a good asset as she is very good at setting up her teammates.
Colombia
In contrast to their first opponents tactic of speed and possession, the Colombian team bring a very tough and physical defence to their games and in theory should be dominant in strength. However, the team weren't able to score a single goal in the 2011 World Cup, so they will need to change their tactics slightly if they want to avoid that disappointment again.
Coach Fabian Taborda has a lot of experience in youth football and is fully aware of what it takes to grow and build with a team, with many of the Colombian team having been with Taborda as early as his U-17 coaching days, so they benefit by having built a strong relationship with their coach.
25 year old midfielder Catalina Usme is potentially one of the biggest threats in the Columbian team, with 19 international goals in her 40 caps. With 27 year old goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda, they stand to have a fighting chance to make it through the group stage.
With the two very different approaches from each team, this should make for an exciting game whereby each team are able to play the way they want to. However, we don't think anyone will win outright, and so our prediction is a draw at 1-1.
The match kicks off tonight at 17:00 local time. How do you think this match will play out? Let us know on our twitter page and using our hashtag #wwc15df.
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