B/R Experts: Confederations Cup Predictions, June 21-22
The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup is well under way and there are some intriguing ties taking place in the second round of games.
Portugal were held to a draw by Mexico in their opening match and will need to be on form when they face tournament hosts Russia, while Kazan can expect to play host to a cracker as Germany take on Chile.
Read on for our experts' views on the second set of fixtures.
Russia vs. Portugal
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Adam Digby
The host nation jumped out to an early lead at the top of Group A, but Portugal will be looking to bounce back after being held to a 2-2 draw by Mexico in their first outing.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos will be concerned about his side's defensive frailties in that match, and he could look to draft the likes of Gelson Martins, Nelson Semedo and Andre Silva into his starting XI.
For their part, Russia may well ease up on the intense pressing they deployed against New Zealand and should play a more cautious style here.
Prediction: Russia 1-2 Portugal
First goalscorer: Renato Sanches
Dean Jones
The hosts got off to a winning start against New Zealand, but this is the first time we will truly see how strong they are.
Fyodor Smolov was as impressive as expected and will continue to be the main man, but Aleksandr Golovin also stood out in the first match and needs to make an impact from midfield in this clash.
Portugal will be frustrated with the fashion in which they conceded a late equaliser against Mexico, and Javier Hernandez enjoyed testing out their defence with his teasing runs.
It would be a surprise if Russia do not score, but Portugal should prove too powerful overall.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who produced a sublime assist for Ricardo Quaresma against Mexico, is their star man—but with so much scrutiny over his club future and tax affairs, can he continue to remain fully focused in this tournament?
Prediction: Russia 1-2 Portugal
First goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo
Karl Matchett
This is a real crunch game for Portugal. Russia will be feeling positive after winning the opener, while Ronaldo and Co. took a late kick to the stomach with Mexico's stoppage-time leveller.
Now there's no margin for error and the European champions will be feeling the pressure of expectation, even in a reasonably low-key tournament.
Are they a Spain or Germany, a team to go on and sustain success? Or a Greece, winning once and done?
They need to prove they're up to the task and a positive result against Russia is a must. That said, they should succeed; they have superior players, look tactically balanced and have good depth.
Prediction: Russia 0-1 Portugal
First goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo
Mexico vs. New Zealand
2 of 4
Adam Digby
Mexico and New Zealand will both be under pressure to get a result here, with the former desperate for the win they need to progress to the semi-finals, while the latter know that another defeat will almost certainly send them home.
Mexico boss Juan Carlos Osorio is expected to rotate several players in his starting XI, the most notable of which would be Rafael Marquez, while New Zealand will hope to replicate the fine showing they had against the same opponent in a 2-1 friendly defeat in October.
Prediction: Mexico 2-0 New Zealand
First goalscorer: Javier Hernandez
Dean Jones
Mexico seem to have the right mentality for this tournament and should see off New Zealand with relative ease.
Javier Hernandez looked sharp and hungry in their first game against Portugal and is almost certain to find the net against a team ranked 95th in the world.
Mexico twice came from behind last time out, so this is a different challenge given they will be the better team by some distance.
New Zealand offered little in terms of creativity in their game with Russia, and worryingly they lacked team structure, too.
Prediction: Mexico 3-0 New Zealand
First goalscorer: Javier Hernandez
Karl Matchett
This shouldn't really be a contest, with Mexico an obviously better side than New Zealand and with a full squad on call.
The front three looked a little unbalanced in the opening game for Osorio's side, who would perhaps be better off using a wide option on the left and Hernandez centrally. However, the midfield trio should comfortably overrun New Zealand and help Mexico dominate both possession and territory.
An early goal will help, but this should be a matter of when, not if, Mexico manage to break New Zealand down.
Prediction: Mexico 3-0 New Zealand
First goalscorer: Andres Guardado
Cameroon vs. Australia
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Adam Digby
While Australia lost 3-2 to Germany in their Confederations Cup opener, future opponents Cameroon and Chile cannot fail to have been impressed by their showing in that clash.
The Socceroos gave the European side a physical and demanding test, even shading possession in the second half.
It was a similar story for Cameroon as they fell 0-2 against Chile, with coach Hugo Broos disappointed with the result but pleased with the performance.
Both will hope to snatch three points while the two heavyweight sides go head-to-head in the group's other clash.
Prediction: Cameroon 1-1 Australia
First goalscorer: Tomi Juric
Dean Jones
Cameroon have been a defensive shambles so far and have their work cut out to achieve anything at this tournament.
They would have looked at this fixture ahead of the competition as a fantastic opportunity to pick up points, but Australia will fancy their chances based on the first round of fixtures.
Cameroon look as though they allow way too many chances on goal, and after Australia gave Germany a fright, you have to fancy the Socceroos to come out on top.
Prediction: Cameroon 1-2 Australia
First goalscorer: Aaron Mooy
Karl Matchett
This is the must-win game of the group if either of these are to have a hope of progressing—and they would still have to cause an upset in the last match. Cameroon's 4-1-4-1 system against Chile yielded some success in terms of resisting pressure—other than the defence being out of line at times—but they created little themselves.
Australia, on the other hand, are overly risky at times, playing out of defence when under pressure and trying to overload in attacking-midfield areas which can see them overcommit players forward.
This one should be an intriguing tactical battle and a lot more open than the first round of matches, but the lack of genuine quality might mean that as many chances are created, plenty of them are spurned.
Prediction: Cameroon 2-1 Australia
First goalscorer: Vincent Aboubakar
Germany vs. Chile
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Adam Digby
Arguably the most hotly anticipated clash of the group stage, these two sides should put on a good show when they face off at the Kazan Arena.
Chile will once again be without the injured Claudio Bravo, but deputy goalkeeper Johnny Herrera gave a good account of himself in the opening match.
But with Germany sending such a young and inexperienced squad to Russia, the South American side may have the edge here and will be hungry to prove they can overcome the World Cup holders.
Prediction: Germany 1-2 Chile
First goalscorer: Alexis Sanchez
Dean Jones
This clash should be a cracker. Chile have a brilliant attacking mindset, while the Germans have a raw unpredictability that makes them fascinating to watch.
Joachim Low opted for an inexperienced side and that was visible as they edged past Australia, but they also have class in abundance.
They will have to be disciplined here as Chile are taking the competition seriously and have star players in top form.
Expect a high-intensity display from the Chileans with Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas likely to prove decisive.
Prediction: Germany 1-2 Chile
First goalscorer: Eduardo Vargas
Karl Matchett
Germany were relentless in the early stages of their opening game but also extremely wasteful.
The cold-hearted ability to kill teams off when on top—so present with the regular XI in place—wasn't quite there with this batch of inexperienced (in international terms) hopefuls and that could cost them against Chile.
The South Americans will never back off, never give up late in the match and always believe they'll score against the best sides.
They will need Alexis Sanchez fit to do so, however, as the wide forwards from the opening game didn't impact anywhere near enough and the Arturo Vidal-Eduardo Vargas combination through the centre can't do it alone.
Prediction: Germany 2-2 Chile
First goalscorer: Timo Werner
