Czech Republic vs Mexico — Prediction

Mexico are already through as group winners, and Javier Aguirre has signalled a heavy rotation — Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez look set to rest while 40-year-old Ochoa is lined up for a sentimental Azteca start — so this is fringe players auditioning for the round of 32 rather than the first XI. That matters, because Czechia must win to keep any hope alive and will commit bodies forward behind Schick, their one reliable outlet. The deciding factors are Mexico's depth even when shuffled, plus the altitude and home crowd that punish a chasing visitor, against a Czech side that has scored only twice in two blunt games. The clear risk — and why this is a lean, not a confident call — is that rotation and dampened stakes pull Mexico's intensity down toward a draw, and a desperate Czechia could nick it. A narrow Mexico win, with the draw very much live.