In an eagerly anticipated clash between two sides with aspirations of success in Brazil, the main news surrounding the game is that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo does not appear to have regained full fitness in time for the friendly.
Ronaldo, 29, will no doubt be the key player for Portugal during their World Cup campaign. He has put the pressure of a nation on his shoulders and so far has delivered, scoring 4 goals in order for the Portugues to progress to the finals ahead of Sweden in a World Cup play-off match.
Now, as the the greatest show on Earth draws ever closer, Ronaldo is not fully fit, but the show must go on.
Such was the worry in relation to Ronaldo's condition, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) issued a statement on Wednesday in an attempt to appease worried fans.
The FPF said Ronaldo was battling a "muscle injury on the back of his left thigh as well as left-leg patellar tendonitis". Although Portuguese fans were aware of his thigh injury, the news of damage to his knee is a revelation most Portuguese fans would not want to have been exposed too.
Ronaldo has trained in New York this week, but Bento is likely to err on the side of caution and leave him out against Mexico in Massachusetts, particularly with another friendly against the Republic of Ireland to come on Sunday.
Raul Meireles, Beto and Ronaldo's Real Madrid compatriot Pepe are also struggling for fitness and are likely to be rested.
As of now, the Portuguese have competed in just one pre World Cup friendly, and in the absence of captain Ronaldo, they were held to a goalless draw by Greece.
They will certainly hoping for a brighter spell against Mexico, who themselves will hope to line out with a full strength squad in place. Coach Miguel Herrera previously stated that the side he fielded against the Portuguese would close resemble the team he chose for the Mexican's first World Cup game, against Cameroon.
Mexico have been involved in a number of friendlies in advance of the coming World Cup, and until they lost 1-0 to a Bosnia-Herzegovina side deemed "dirty" by Herrera, they had strolled to 3-0 and 3-1 triumphs over Israel and Ecuador respectively.
Luis Montes broke his leg against Ecuador and Mexico will be out to avoid further casualties in their final pre-World Cup friendly.
Against a weakened Portuguese side, Mexico will no doubt be looking to head to Brazil on a high note, and it is sure to be a competitive fixture despite the nature.
