Wales take on Mexico in an international friendly at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Dragons will be looking to bounce back from their midweek loss to Belgium, while Mexico are in action for the first time this year.

Match preview

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There is no shame in losing to the side ranked number one in international football, but there will perhaps be a slight sense of disappointment for Wales following Wednesday's loss to Belgium.

Harry Wilson opened the scoring for the visitors early on in Leuven, only for Kevin De Bruyne, Thorgan Hazard and Romelu Lukaku to earn a 3-1 comeback win for the Belgians.

Wales had gone four games without defeat against the Red Devils and had chances to take a point in this latest encounter, but it was not to be as their World Cup qualifying campaign got off to a losing start.

That puts added importance on next Tuesday's home clash with Czech Republic, whom Wales are expected to go head-to-head with for a playoff spot in Group E.

This friendly with Mexico is awkwardly placed between two key qualifiers, meaning that Rob Page - in caretaker charge for a fifth game as Ryan Giggs remains under investigation due to an allegation of assault - will name a weakened side.

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Mexico will be using their two March friendlies, against Wales and Costa Rica, as a chance to get their players back up to speed ahead of the resumption of the CONCACAF Nations League in June.

The Tricolor beat South Korea and Japan in November friendlies to make it 10 matches without defeat since September 2019, winning all but one of those.

Gerardo Martino has named a 26-man squad for the clash with Wales in Cardiff and Costa Rica in Wiener Neustadt, which includes Efrain Alvarez for the first time, ending any hope the United States had of making the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder one of their own.

Like Wales, Mexico have bigger priorities this year than friendlies, but Martino can at least name a strong lineup knowing that his side do not have a competitive game this window.

This will be just the fifth ever encounter between the sides, the most recent of those finishing in a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles a little under three years ago.

Mexico have yet to taste defeat to Wales, with two wins and two draws from those four previous meetings.

Team News

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Wales lost Aaron Ramsey, Tom Lockyer and Ben Davies to injuries from their initial 31-man squad for this month's fixtures, while Joe Allen limped off against Belgium just eight minutes into his first international appearance since 2019.

Page will give a number of his fringe players a chance to impress ahead of the Czech Republic game, with Chris Gunter one of those certain to come into the side for what will be his landmark 100th international cap.

Rhys Norrington-Davies and Joe Morrell were the two players to drop out of the Wales XI between November's win against Finland and Wednesday's loss to Belgium, and one or both players could come back into the side here.

Striker Kieffer Moore was surprisingly benched against Belgium, which Page put down to the Cardiff City striker being tired, so it is unlikely that he will start this one either.

As for Mexico, Martino will be looking to use as many of his 26 players as possible over the next week.

Raul Jimenez will play no part in either friendly, though, as he continues to recover from a head injury sustained for Wolverhampton Wanderers in November.

Inter Milan's Hirving Lozano, on target along with Jimenez in the 2-0 win over Japan last time out, is in contention to start.

Wales possible starting lineup:
Ward; Gunter, Cabango, Rodon, Mepham, Norrington-Davies; Smith, Levitt; Matondo, Roberts, Williams

Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Sanchez, Araujo, Moreno, Gallardo; Pineda, Romo, Rodriguez; Lainez, Lozano, Pizarro

We say: Wales 0-0 Mexico

Wales' defeat to Belgium was just their second in 15 matches, while visitors Mexico are similarly tough to beat.

The Dragons will play a weakened side on Saturday, but we can see them grinding out a goalless draw, just like they did in November's stalemate with the United States in Swansea.

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