Confederations Cup 2013 Schedule: Highlighting the Best Group Play Matches

The 2013 Confederations Cup is underway in Brazil, and group play features several intriguing matchups.

Group B is headlined by Spain, and the squad shouldn't have much to worry about in the early stages. However, it can't afford to take any game lightly.

On the other side of the tournament, Group B should be extremely competitive. Here is the breakdown of the pools (courtesy of FIFA's official website):

Group A	Group B
Brazil	Nigeria
Italy	Spain
Japan	Tahiti
Mexico	Uruguay

The second day of the 2013 Confederations Cup featured compelling matchups (Mexico vs. Italy and Spain vs. Uruguay), but there are still plenty of good matches left in the tournament. All the rest of the intriguing encounters happen to be in Group A.

Key matches in group play:

Brazil vs. Mexico (Wednesday, June 19, 3 p.m. EDT)

This doesn't figure to be a huge match for Brazil, but Mexico will need to play well in this game to have any chance of advancing to the semifinals.

After Sunday's loss to Italy (game recap via ESPNFC.com), Mexico needs to get points in this contest. The squad faces a big challenge of needing to beat the host nation, but it's desperation time.

This will be the pivotal match of the group for Mexico. A win would put them in position to make the semifinals, but a loss would effectively eliminate them from the tournament.

Italy vs. Japan (Wednesday, June 19, 6 p.m. EDT)

Japan isn't expected to be a threat to anyone in this group, while Italy is expected to advance to the semifinals. This has the makings of a potential letdown.

After a big win over Mexico on Sunday and a matchup with Brazil looming, Italy may not be focused on Japan. If they overlook Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda et al, it could turn out to be a costly game for the Azzurri.

Japan has a chance to upset Italy, even if it means a tie. Italy needs to take care of business leading up to the game against Brazil, so anything less than a win in this match would be a disappointment.

It's not the most crucial encounter of group play, but this certainly could impact the standings.

Italy needs to get as many points as possible, but Japan has a chance to shock the world with a win. A victory in this match would give Japan a chance to advance with a win over Mexico on Saturday.

Italy vs. Brazil (Saturday, June 22, 3 p.m. EDT)

Group A will likely come down to Saturday's match between Italy and Brazil. Both teams won their opening match and could enter the game 2-0.

Host Brazil has Neymar and Hulk, which gives them the advantage. They have a talented roster, but playing at home could be the deciding factor.

Italy will need a win in order to avoid playing probable Group B winners Spain in the semifinals—assuming Italy enters this match with an unblemished record.

Mario Balotelli has to be big in this game. Italy is ranked higher, but Brazil has the talent to win Group A.

With everything on the line in this game, it should be the most intense match in group play. Neither team wants to take on Spain before the finals, so they will be pushing hard to win the group.