One of the more anticipated fixtures of Matchday 1 takes place on June 17 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow when the mighty Germans open their World Cup defense against Mexico in what is – on paper – the best Group F match.
Both teams are highly skilled but Germany is the world standard. They’ll enter their date with The Tricolor as overwhelming favorites on the moneyline but victory is not guaranteed for Joachim Low’s juggernaut.
- Germany has lost to Mexico just once in 11 matches since 1968.
- Mexico hasn’t lost its first group stage match at a World Cup tournament since 1994.
- Odds to win the 2018 World Cup: Germany +450, Mexico +10000.
Entering the tournament on a bit of a cold streak, Germany cannot come into this match lying down. Mexico’s +650 moneyline at Sportsbook might be a stretch but the draw is tempting at +335 with Die Mannschaft failing to register a win since a dominant qualifying run came to an end half a year ago.
If their most recent meeting is to be used as a guide, though, Germany could glide past Mexico in this icebreaker. The two sides represented their respective confederations at last summer’s Confederations Cup in Russia and the eventual trophy-lifting Germans made easy work of the Mexicans in the semifinal, dispatching them 4-1 en route to a 1-0 win over Chile in the final.
When you consider that the Germans were able to cut Leroy Sane, a dynamic, tricky winger who would likely be Mexico’s best player, it puts into perspective just how tough of an out this team will be in Russia and betting against them will be just that.
Best Bet for Germany-Mexico:
Sportsbook their golden 2014 campaign with a 4-0 win over Portugal, Germany set the tone for their entire tournament right off the bat in Brazil and it’s probable they’ll push the envelope to achieve something similar in 2018.
Because of that, you might consider targeting the OVER on Germany’s team total of 2. That’s being offered at +110 and looks ripe for the picking.
