Brazil vs Spain: Predicting Confederations Cup Final

Did you expect any other matchup in the 2013 Confederations Cup Final?

Spain will take on Brazil in a matchup that many have been eagerly waiting for.  It’s a match that will be filled with stars like Neymar, Fernando Torres, Fred, David Villa and Juan Mata.

Brazil has been enjoying playing in front of their home crowd, and they’ve given the fans plenty of reasons to cheer.  After winning all three matches in the group stage, the Selecao were able to pull off a 2-1 win over Uruguay to advance to the final.

For Spain, they took a bit of a different route.

A 2-1 victory over Uruguay followed by a 10-0 shellacking of Tahiti and then a 3-0 win over Nigeria put La Roja in a good situation heading into the knockout stage.

Then, after a scoreless game, Spain and Italy headed into one of the craziest shootouts you’ll ever see.  13 of 14 shots went in, with the one miss by Bonucci costing Italy their shot at heading to the final.

With the final match set, it’s time to make predictions for what’s bound to be a tough battle between two great teams.

First Half

The big battle in this match will be Spain’s midfield preventing Brazil’s attackers from penetrating and getting opportunities to score.

Andres Iniesta and Xavi will need to continue their brilliant passing and help La Roja maintain possession to keep the touches for guys like Neymar to a minimum.

Spain's midfield will help them get a few chances in the first half thanks to keeping possession, and someone is bound to break through for Spain after a few chances, giving them a 1-0 lead to kick things off.

Spain 1, Brazil, 0 (Fernando Torres 26’)

Brazil will look to get that goal back in the first half, but Spain's defense will hold them off.  Jordi Alba, in particular, will likely have another big game, after being one of the most important pieces for La Roja in this tournament. 

Alba has been a terrific defender on the left side, showing off the versatility to play defense and attack to keep the opposing team off balance—Nigeria learned this earlier when Alba had two goals in the winning effort.

Halftime: Spain 1, Brazil 0

Second Half

This is where both teams are going to have some slips on defense, and the forwards are going to start making some plays and getting some shots off.

Neymar has been the talk of the tournament after signing a big deal that will have him heading to Barcelona in the near future.  His three goals in tournament play have shown what this kid can do, and he will likely get another one in this final match to cap off a great run in the Confederations Cup.

Neymar with the equalizer.

Spain 1, Brazil 1 (Neymar 58’)

As much as I want to think that this will be a neck-and-neck game until the very end, Spain is the better overall team.  They have so many weapons that it makes it hard to defend all of them.

After scoring one goal, all eyes will continue to be on Torres, and that gives others a chance to be the hero with the late goal.

Who will be the one to score?  Juan Mata has a shot.

The attacking midfielder hasn’t been the biggest piece to the team’s success so far, but he has been vital.  He has helped create chances throughout the tournament, and even has one goal already.

Spain 2, Brazil 1 (Juan Mata 83’)

Spain's midfield will keep Brazil from getting another equalizer, as Xavi and Iniesta are simply too good to let another one past them, and that's how the match will end.

Final: Spain 2, Brazil 1

So there you have it, Spain will take the Confederations Cup in 2013 thanks to a stacked roster of some of the greatest players in the world.

Even if this prediction doesn’t come true, one thing you can count on is an exciting match to finish off what’s been an outstanding tournament.