17th June 2017 Kickoff: 1600hrs – FIFA Confederations Cup – Russia
Although it’s a summer without a traditional major international tournament, football fans will still get their fix with the running of what is usually considered to be the prelude to a World Cup. The next fortnight in Russia will play host to all seven winners of their respective continental competitions along with the hosts themselves. Not only will we get a preview of some of the main contenders for next year’s competition, it will also make fans more familiar with the main stadia to be used – as well as shine a light on the Russian’s ability to host a safe and welcoming tournament.
As usual with the Confederations Cup, there will be a spread in terms of the standard amongst those teams who have qualified with the well established federations such as Europe and South America likely to be competing at the finals stage whilst some of the more developing nations will be hoping to test themselves against a higher standard of opposition than they normally would be used to. It should ensure plenty of interesting and enjoyable encounters in the group stage before the top two from each section enter into a semi-final.
Group A
The hosts have been drawn in Group A alongside New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. Following a disappointing exit at the group stage in Euro 2016, Stanislav Cherchesov assumed control of the national team – the first time he has been involved in international management. He has been tasked with improving the fortunes of the Russian team in the lead up to not only this competition but also the main event itself in 12 months time. It’s often a difficult job for any manager considering the lack of competitive football so Cherchesov will be looking to use this next fortnight as a way of testing his new look squad of players.
New Zealand have benefited from Australia’s move to the Asian conference as it has allowed them more success in Oceania, leading them to play in competitions such as this one. It will only aid in their development but qualification for the World Cup itself remains an ongoing challenge as the winners of Oceanic qualifiers face the fifth placed team from the South American section which is more often than not an uphill task. Nevertheless, their three games against Russia, Portugal and Mexico (who ironically pipped them to a place at the World Cup in Brazil) will be a further measure of their progress to date.
Mexico are one of the two North American powerhouses and are on course to play at another World Cup following a 1-1 draw with old rivals USA on Sunday in the CONCACAF qualifying. It would have to be a capitulation of catastrophic proportions to prevent them taking their place amongst the 32 nations but their focus will switch to what’s ahead of them in the immediate future over the summer, which also includes the Gold Cup – beginning on the 10th of July. It will be a busy period but there has been no suggestion of naming a weaker squad for their participation in Russia as all the established names will be present, including captain Rafael Marquez who continues to lead by example at the tender age of 38.
Portugal were the surprise winners of the European Championships in France last summer, earning them a place at this competitions as a result. Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed all the headlines for sustaining an injury in the final, it was the much maligned Eder who wrote himself into the history books. The Lille striker has not been named in the squad for the Confederations Cup which gives you an indication of how much of a surprise it was he scored the winning goal against France, but it’s also a sign of the emerging talent that his country have coming through – especially in the attacking positions. Andre Silva is one such talent and having enjoyed a good season with Porto, he has earned a move to Italian giants Milan. He’s one of the players to keep an eye on.
Group B
World Champions Germany are the standout team in Group B as well as the tournament as a whole. It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching four years since Joachim Low’s men edged out Argentina in extra time but they will be defending their title in a little over 12 months. The Germans have suffered disappointment since then, though, losing out in the semi-finals to France in Euro 2016 when appearing to hold an excellent chance. Low has opted to rest virtually all of his key players for the tournament in Russia, electing to blood some of his younger players with a view to testing them on a big stage. Julian Draxler will be the most experienced player on show and a lot will be expected from the man who moved to PSG for big money earlier this year.
Australia will be the first country ever to participate in this competition for two separate federations having already represented Oceania before switching to the Asian conference. Their participation at next year’s World Cup is far from guaranteed but there is certainly a lot of exciting players amongst their squad. Aaron Mooy has played a huge part in helping Huddersfield reach the Premier League for the first time whilst Tom Rogic returned to fitness just in time to score a goal that secured Celtic a domestic treble in Scotland. They will be ably supported by the evergreen Tim Cahill who is two goals away from a half century for his country.
Cameroon are one of the most successful African nations and returned to something like their best when clinching their first continental title in 15 years with a 2-1 win over Egypt in Gabon back in February. They will have work to do in a difficult qualifying group for next year’s World Cup and as their success in the AFCON was something of a surprise, it remains to be seen whether they are able to back that success up both here and in crucial qualifiers ahead.
Chile have went from strength to strength over the last four years and this group of players continue to exceed expectations. Only a penalty shootout denied them a place in the quarter finals of the last World Cup before recording back to back successes in the Copa America – both wins coming against Argentina virtue of penalty shootouts this time. With Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal at the head of affairs, it’s undoubtedly their most talented squad since the days of Salas and Zamarano and they’ll see this competitions as another possibility of further success.
It may be missing some stars, particularly from a German perspective, but it should give us a good insight into how some of the key nations are shaping up for the main even in 12 months times as well as a few betting opportunities which will be previewed in the following article.
