Australia will ramp up their preparations for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers when they face Mexico in a friendly on Saturday, September 9.
Graham Arnold’s side head into the match at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, aiming to snap a two-game losing streak.
They were defeated by Ecuador in March before finding Argentina too hot to handle at the Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium during June.
There was no shame in their 2-0 defeat against the reigning world champions, with Lionel Messi demonstrating why he is the greatest player of all-time.
He netted the first goal early in the game and caused Australia’s defenders numerous problems during the rest of the contest.
However, Australia showed plenty of endeavour against Argentina, typifying the dogged character Arnold has instilled in the squad.
They created several good chances of their own, with Mitch Duke missing the best of them after being picked out by Jordan Bos in the 28th minute.
Australia will now switch their attention to Mexico, who are currently 12th in the world rankings and have plenty of talented players at their disposal.
Mexico vs Australia: Betting
Online bookmakers think Australia will have their work cut out against Mexico, with their opponents rated as the favourites to win the game.
Several instant withdrawal betting sites are offering odds of 9/1 on Australia, which may well attract a ton of interest with punters looking for a value wager.
Comparison websites, which feature up-to-date reviews from the top sportsbook companies, will help you identify where to find the best prices on the game.
The bookies may well have underestimated Australia’s chances, particularly given the manner of their performance against Argentina.
While Arnold’s side did not get on the scoresheet on that occasion, they kept goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez pretty busy during the game.
Mexico vs Australia: How to Watch
The Mexico vs Australia match will be broadcast live and free on Network 10. It will also be live streamed with Paramount+ and 10 Play.
Streams are available across a wide range of digital platforms including Apple TV, Android TV, Telstra (Roku) TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV and Google TV.
Mexico vs Australia: Previous Meetings
The upcoming fixture between the two sides will be the first time they have faced each other in over 22 years. Here is a look at their previous meetings.
Mexico vs Australia – International Friendly – 1970
The first fixture between Mexico and Australia was an international friendly at the iconic Aztec Stadium in December 1970.
The contest was a one-sided affair, with goals by Javier Valdivia (2) and Raul Gomez helping Mexico secure a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
Australia’s misery was compounded late in the game when Ray Richards was sent off for throwing he ball into Mexican captain Gustavo Pena’s face.
Australia vs Mexico – International Friendly – 1980
Australia and Mexico had two chances to familiarise themselves with each other in August 1980, playing a couple of friendlies in Sydney and Melbourne.
Richard Castro put Mexico ahead in the first, before Ken Boden levelled the game courtesy of a 57th minute penalty.
John Yzendoorn made it 2-1 to Australia after 72 minutes, but Jose Luis Gonzalez tied things up with seven minutes remaining.
Australia vs Mexico – International Friendly – 1980
The two sides were back in action just a couple of days later at Melbourne’s Olympic Park and there was nothing to choose between them again.
Striker Gary Cole opened the scoring for Australia in the second half,, but Castro quickly hit back to hand Mexico a share of the spoils.
It was another 17 years before the teams faced each other again, and the match turned out to be a momentous one for Australia.
Australia vs Mexico – FIFA Confederations Cup – 1997
The FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia saw Australia upset the odds by progressing to the final of the tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Mark Viduka, John Aloisi and Damian Mori were on target as Australia triumphed 3-1. Luis Hernandez bagged Mexico’s only goal.
Australia finished second in their group before beating Uruguay in the semi-final, but they were routed 6-0 by Brazil in the final.
Australia vs Mexico – FIFA Confederations Cup – 2001
Australia and Mexico crossed swords again in the same tournament in the Korea Republic four years later, and the outcome was the same.
First half goals by Shaun Murphy and Josip Skoko secured a 2-0 victory for the Aussies, who subsequently booked their place in the semi-finals.
However, they were narrowly denied a place in the final as Hidetoshi Nakata’s 43rd minute goal handed Japan a 1-0 victory.