Confederations Cup 2013 Preview, Analysis, Predictions: How Will Mexico Finish In Group A?

Disappointment has been the word associated with the Mexican national team over the last few months. The squad has been inconsistent in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers and has looked weak offensively. The club will look to change its fortunes with a deep run in the Confederations Cup in Brazil. Here is an analysis of Mexico's situation at all positions and its chances in the group stage of the tournament.

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio), José de Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)

The team has a solid goaltending situation. Corona has been the team's savior throughout many of its poor CONCACAF performances and is the main reason that the club is tied for first place in the standings. Ochoa provides a solid second option in case Corona is unable to live up to his status as the number one.

Defenders: Francisco Javier Rodríguez (América), Carlos Salcido (UANL), Diego Reyes (América), Severo Meza (Monterrey), Héctor Moreno (Espanyol), Jorge Torres Nilo (UANL), Hiram Mier (Monterrey), Gerardo Flores (Cruz Azul)

Mexico's struggles are mainly in the offensive zone but there have been a few defensive breakdowns that have created a cause for concern. The biggest concern with the inconsistent play is that the team is loaded with solid veterans including Salcido and Moreno. The team's defense needs to be its strong point if it plans to make a deep run in Group A.

Midfielders: Jesús Molina (América), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Pablo Barrera (Cruz Azul), ángel Reyna (Pachuca), Javier Aquino (Villarreal), Héctor Herrera (Pachuca), Jesús Zavala (Monterrey), Andrés Guardado (Valencia)

With such players as Guardado and Zavala, one would expect Mexico to have a solid midfield. However, the squad lacks the creativity and pace of past iterations.

Forwards: Javier Hernández (Manchester United), Aldo de Nigris (Monterrey), Giovani dos Santos (Mallorca), Raúl Jiménez (América)

The forwards have been solid in the last few months with Hernández and de Nigris scoring vital goals. The team needs more out of dos Santos to live up to its offensive potential.

Group A standings: Mexico is stuck in a group with Brazil, Italy, and Japan. All three clubs are capable of making deep runs in this tournament. Look for Mexico to finish anywhere from second to fourth in this group.

Prediction:  Mexico finishes in third place in the group; they will likely defeat Japan but do little else in the tournament.