Mexico and Cuba will play each other in a Group C Gold Cup game.

These two teams haven't had a close rivalry with one another at all over the years. Mexico has absolutely dominated this CONCACAF matchup dating back to 1934. Mexico is 14-1 against Cuba with the only loss coming in 1978.

Let's break down the game and pick a winner.

Mexico (23)

Mexico is presently the No. 23 ranked squad in the world, and the No. 2 ranked team in the CONCACAF confederation. Many soccer experts believe this is a three team race between only Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States.

The Gold Cup has been won by Mexico a record six times, the most recent championship coming in 2011 over the U.S.

Mexico should be the resounding favorites to win this game, but they won't have their best forward on the field against Cuba, Javier Hernandez. Giovani dos Santos and Oribe Peralta will be leading the offense without "Chicharito" on the field.

Head coach Miguel Herrera has named midfielder Andrés Guardado team captain for the Gold Cup. Francisco Javier Rodríguez will direct the defense while goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will get the start in net.

Cuba (107)

Cuba is certainly the underdogs in this game. The small island soccer nation has only defeated Mexico once, and their fans know this. The 2013 Gold Cup ended in disaster for Cuba fans as they watched their national team lose to Panama, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

However, Cuba has slowly been improving in the soccer department over the years. Many believe Cuba could be transitioning from baseball to soccer before our very eyes.

Cuba has a great midfield led by Yénier Márquez, but there are a lot of question marks in net. Diosvelis Guerra, who is just 23 years old, is expected to get the start in goal. Jorge Luís Clavelo leads the defense while Alain Cervantes will be commanding the offense. Interestingly, every single starter for Cuba is a member of some sort of domestic Cuban league. This is a very tight bunch.

Schedule, Where to Watch

Mexico and Cuba will play each other on Thursday, July 9 at 9:30 p.m. EST at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game will be shown on Fox Sports 1. You can watch a live game stream here.

Prediction

Mexico may struggle early on getting used to the pace of play with Hernandez, but they'll figure it out eventually. Mexico has the edge in every factor, and they should come out on top with the win.

Mexico wins 3-1

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