Mexicans wave hello

England and Mexico clashed in the World Cup in 1966

By BBC Sport Online's Sanjeev Shetty

It is little over four years since Mexico last made their way over to the British Isles.

In a friendly game squeezed in during England's qualifying campaign for the 1998 World Cup, England beat the Latin American side 2-0 with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Fowler.

It will be interesting to see whether either goalscorer from three years ago is included in the starting line-up for the game at Pride Park.

The Mexicans proved to be one of the most fascinating sides at the World Cup in 1998, exiting at the hands of Germany in a desperately close match at the knockout stages.

  England v Mexico past history

1959: Mexico 1-2 England

1961: England 8-0 Mexico

1966: England 2-0 Mexico

1966: England 2-0 Mexico (World Cup)

1969: Mexico 0-0 England

1985: Mexico 0-1 England

1986: Mexico 3-0 England

1997: England 2-0 Mexico

In the seven meetings between England and Mexico, there has been just one game of any significance, with the other six friendlies.

The one meaningful game was the little matter of a World Cup game during the 1966 World Cup.

That game also finished 2-0, with Bobby Charlton smashing in one of his long range stunners and Roger Hunt adding the other.

Out of the seven games, England have won four and lost two, with only one of the games ending in a draw.

With Mexico sitting 12th in the latest Fifa world rankings - intriguingly just one place above Sven Goran Eriksson's team, it seems certain the contest will be a close one.

Robbie Fowler got on the score sheet last time

Both sides follow the game with important World Cup qualifiers and are bound to use the game as serious preparation.

The Mexicans currently sit third in the final Concacaf qualification group, having beaten Jamaica, drawn with Trinidad and Tobago and lost away to the table-topping USA.

As the top three teams in the six-strong group qualify for the finals in Japan and South Korea next summer, things look good at present.

But their form has been somewhat unpredictable, having lost 1-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in the group stages and then beaten the same side 7-0 three months later.

They face a crunch game against second-placed Costa Rica on 16 June before taking on Honduras four days later.

The big return match against the United States comes on 1 July, so the game against England represents a chance for the players to cement themselves a place for that trio of all-important fixtures.