Confederations Cup 2013 Final: Last-Minute Predictions for Brazil vs. Spain

After group stages and two thrilling matches in the knockout round of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the football community is going to get the match it desired at the beginning of the tournament. 

Host nation Brazil is looking for their third consecutive Confederations Cup title, while FIFA World No. 1 side Spain will look to deny the home fans a chance to celebrate in Rio de Janiero on Sunday afternoon. 

As noted by LiveFootball on Twitter, the last four meetings between the two countries have been nothing short of close:

Squaring off for the first time since 1999, the European champions will look to assert their will over the host nation after surviving against Italy in the semifinals. The Azzurri took Spain to the brink before bowing out in a shootout, but that match proved that Spain can be stopped with the right game plan. 

On the flip side, Brazil eased through their group stage and beat the only common opponent (Uruguay) of the two sides by the exact same score (2-1) in the semifinals. Brazil and Spain have stars abounding on both sides, and there's different factors lending an aid to both in preparation for the final. 

As we get ready for the ensuing match on Sunday, here's a look at a few predictions for what should be an epic battle between these two countries in the tournament final. 

Rob Hughes of the New York Times might have said it best: It's best in the world against best all time on Sunday. 

2013 Confederations Cup Final

Who: Brazil vs. Spain

Where: Estadio do Maracana; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

When: Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m. EDT

Television/Streaming: ESPN (blacked out on WatchESPN)

Predictions for Brazil vs. Spain

So far, both sides have done nothing to assert themselves ahead of the other when it comes to predicting the outcome for the final. 

We know that Spain, unbeaten in the past three years and carrying one of the most talented rosters we've ever seen in international play, is going to bring the wood every match. 

La Roja have two clean sheets against Nigeria and Tahiti in the group stage, while Brazil have the same marks against Japan and Mexico. Italy gave both teams trouble, showing the strength of the Azzurri lineup, but both teams proceeded to best Uruguay by a score of 2-1. 

While clean sheets are nice, especially in international competitions of this nature, don't expect either goalkeeper to be able to keep his net empty by the end of this match. 

The two rivals possess the top two scorers in the tournament, with Spain's Fernando Torres (five goals in four matches) and Brazil's Neymar (three goals and two assists in four matches) each a threat to score whenever they get into the box. 

David Silva, Jordi Alba and David Villa also all rank at the top of the Confederations Cup rankings in goals scored, but the 10-0 outfit against Tahiti helped inflate the scoring marks for La Roja. Fred and Jo both have been stellar for Spain, too, as the Verde-Amarela have been outstanding on the attack so far. 

It will be interesting to see what Luiz Felipe Scolari's strategy is when it comes to defending the Spaniards. Italy used a defensive outfit that kept Andres Iniesta and the rest of the La Roja attack at bay, and it will be interesting to see if Scolari values that defensive presence or the offensive one that has taken his team this far. 

Expect the early part of this match to favor the Brazilians. 

Spain is coming off the shootout victory over Italy and also lost some time due to travel from their last match prior to the final. Brazil, on the other hand, played only 90 minutes against Uruguay and had a full day to kick back and watch how things unfolded in the other semifinal. 

That being said, Spain's experience and toughness will ultimately even them out, but not before Brazil gets an early strike in front of the home crowd. That early strike won't scare Spain, who have the maturity as a group to overcome any kind of early deficit—even in front of the Verde-Amarela faithful. 

In a tight match throughout, this one won't be decided after 90 minutes. The scoring punch of both of these sides will make for a stellar start to the contest, but just like they did against Italy, Spain will find a way to push Brazil into largely unknown territory. 

Don't forget—Brazil's success at this tournament is somewhat new. Although the home nation is one of the best football countries ever, this current group is technically still rebuilding itself with a mix of young stars and veteran contributors. 

With that in mind, Spain still has the same core and has been in this situation time and time again. Taking the match to shots in the final, La Roja once again find a way to get the job done and cement their status as the No. 1 team heading into the World Cup next summer. 

Brazil 2, Spain 2 (Spain wins 6-5 in shootout)

Follow Bleacher Report's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.