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Mexico Hoping for Revenge vs. Argentina
 Vicente Panetta - Associated Press
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June 26, 2010
| | Mexico's soccer fans get a picture taken by a South Africa's security officer front a banner which reads ' Go for it Mexico', prior to a Mexico's national team training session at the Waterstone college in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, June 25, 2010. (AP/Guillermo Arias) | |
Pretoria, South Africa — Mexico will get the chance to erase a grudge nursed for four years when it meets Argentina in the World Cup second round on Sunday.
At the 2006 World Cup, Argentina beat Mexico—thanks to an extraordinary goal by Maxi Rodriguez—in the round of 16 and fate has conspired to match the two sides at precisely the same stage of this year’s tournament.
“I have a thorn in my side from four years ago and hopefully on Sunday we can take it out,” said midfielder Rafael Marquez, who scored Mexico’s solitary goal in that 2-1 defeat in 2006.
But the challenge looks formidable against Diego Maradona’s attack-minded team, which everyone wants to avoid this time around.
And it’s not just the prolific strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez that the Mexicans will need to contain in Pretoria.
Playing in midfield will be that man Maxi, who’d settle for any winner on Sunday rather than a repeat of his 2006 wonder goal.
“I’ll be happy if I can just tap it in,” he said Friday. “What happened in that game is history now. The important thing is that the team wins and progresses.”
The two teams have played each other 25 times, of which the Mexicans have only won four.
But Mexico, so shaky to start qualifying before recovering to play well, turned it on when it counted in South Africa, beating 2006 runner-up France 2-0 on the way to finishing second in Group A.
Argentina, unbeaten in its group and capable of scoring goals from all over the field, is expecting Javier Aguirre’s team to be solid at the back and not take too many risks.
“Aguirre is a very intelligent coach,” Maxi said Friday. “I don’t think they’ll come out attacking us right away. They’ll almost certainly wait to hit us on the counter.”
The Liverpool winger is expected to start the evening game at Soccer City after lining up alongside Maradona’s first-choice players in training Friday.
“We’ll have to wait until Diego names the team, but if he chooses me I hope I perform well,” said Maxi.
However, defender Walter Samuel is unlikely to shrug off the right thigh injury he picked up against South K0rea in time for the match. He trained Friday, but didn’t convince the coaching staff that he was ready.
“He felt good at the start, but then we had our doubts,” Maradona said. “If I have any doubts, I will always put in the player who is in best condition.”
Nicolas Burdisso, who laid on a goal for Higuain against the South Koreans after coming on as a substitute, would again fill in at the back.
Mexico’s Marquez said the team isn’t daunted by the prospect of Messi, the Barcelona forward who has lit up the tournament but has yet to score himself.
Arsenal forward Carlos Vela could make a comeback after injury for Mexico to play alongside Giovani Dos Santos who has stood out at this World Cup with his pace and guile.
“We are better than that (2006) Mexico team, which didn’t have so many players in European teams,” Marquez said. “(Argentina) has the best player in the world, Leo Messi, and that makes them more complete. But we will try to change all that.”
Such is Argentina’s strength in depth that Diego Milito, who scored twice in the European Champions League final, will again have to settle for a place on the bench.
The winner of Sunday’s match will play either England or Germany in the quarterfinals.
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