By Rafael

Mexico face Ecuador on Friday looking to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Copa America. Miguel Herrera’s side know a win would be enough to guarantee El Tri a place in the knockout phase.

A bumpy start against Bolivia appeared to destine Mexico to a difficult match-up against the hosts. But Mexican fans were left delighted when Mexico shocked Chile in front of their own fans to hold La Roja to a 3-3 draw.

On the other hand, getting out of the group stage was an absolute priority for Ecuador. However, defeats in their first two games have made mounting that challenge difficult for Gustavo Quintero’s men. A win would only inject some small life in their faint hopes of finishing as one of the best third-placed teams.

Ecuador’s record against Mexico is poor, especially in international competitions. As far as Mexico go, their emphatic draw against Chile may be the coming together the team needed.

Even if Mexico lose, they can look forward to the Gold Cup in July. But a win would be a significant relief for the ambitious Miguel Herrera. Anything else, he admits, is a failure.

“If you lose you fail because you fail to reach your objectives. The idea is to win, we have no other choice inside our heads. We have to beat the opponent in every sense of the way. Our goal is not the quarterfinals but reaching the Final”

– Probable lineups

Ecuador: Alexander Dominguez; Frickson Erazo, Juan Carlos Paredes, Gabriel Achilier or Arturo Mina, Walter Ayovi; Fidel Martinez, Christian Noboa, Pedro Quiñonez, Jefferson Montero; Miller Bolaños and Enner Valencia.

Mexico: Jose de Jesus Corona; Gerardo Flores, Hugo Ayala, Julio Cesar Dominguez, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Efrain Velarde; Juan Carlos Medina, Javier Güemez; Jesus “Tecatito” Corona; Matias Vuoso and Raul Jimenez

Where to watch: Friday, June 19, 5:00pm EST, beIN Sports and beIN Sports en Español