Mexico striker Hirving Lozano (R) competes for the ball against Chile's Jean Beausejour. (Photo : Getty Images)
Two of the world's best under-23 teams, Mexico and Germany, squares off in a high-profile match to open Group C football competitions in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on August 4, Thursday at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in São Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Reigning Olympic champions Mexico qualified this year by winning the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship, defeating Honduras, who was also seeded in Group D of this summer's tournament for finishing as runners-up, 2-0, in the final.
The team is currently coached by 49-year-old Raúl Gutiérrez, who also led this same team during the 2011 under-17 World Cup. He is known as traditional Mexican mentor that focuses on technicality and creating possessions.
El Tri is bannered by the forward duo of 21-year-old rumored Manchester United target Hirving Lozano of Pachuca and 32-year-old veteran Oribe Peralta of Club America, which is perhaps the best attacking tandem in the tournament.
Other familiar names in Gutiérrez's side are Houston Dynamo's Erick Torres, UANL's Jorge Torres, and Toluca goal tender Alfredo Talavera.
Mexico is coming off a 0-0 friendly draw with the Argentina U-23 national team last Thursday at the Cuauhtemoc Stadium in Puebla, Mexico, via Fox News, before heading to Brazil.
Meanwhile, Germany is also a huge favorite to contend for a medal this summer with the likes of Lars and Sven Bender from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund respectively, Bayer Leverkusen's Julian Brandt, Arsenal's Serge Gnabry, Borussia Dortmund's Matthias Ginter, Freiburg's Nils Petersen, and Schalke's Max Meyer available in the side of manager Horst Hrubesch.
Meyer is considered as "one of the most exciting attacking talents at these Games", as per ESPN, while Petersen is an experienced goal scorer who led his German second-tier club to the title last term.
The clash of these two teams will definitely provide much excitement and energy to the casual spectator as both squads have goalscoring duos that are fan-friendly.
The predicted result is a close 3-2 victory for either Mexico or Germany.
Mexico starting lineup (5-3-2 formation): Talavera; Abella, Silva, Montes, Torres, Pizarro; Perez, Gonzalez, Gutierrez; Lozano, Peralta
Germany starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Horn; Toljan, Ginter, Klostermann, Suele; S. Bender, L. Bender, Gnabry, Brandt; Meyer, Petersen
