The Confederations Cup group stage is already coming to a close, as the World Cup warm up tournament heats up. Hosts Russia are in the firing line, as they face a key clash with Mexico with both sides aiming for the semis. While the tournament hasn’t quite caught the imagination, with few visiting fans and a few too many Video Assistant Referee-related issues, it’s still worth keeping an eye on.
This week sees two rounds of simultaneous group games, something which will be much harder to organise if matches are switched to two 30 minute halves with the clock being constantly stopped. However, this weekend’s games should give us some drama, especially with semi-final spots up for grabs. Ahead of the final round of Confederations Cup games, we’ve picked out a few betting tips for you to take a look at.
Saturday 24th June 2017
Mexico v Russia (16:00) – Mexico to win and over 2.5 goals (11/4 with Betfred)
Russia will be hoping to make the semis on home soil, but they’ve only managed to get past the group stage at a tournament once in the previous couple of decades. That was their semi-final run at Euro 2008, this side don’t have the same electrifying potential. They’re up against old masters Mexico, a team who are experiencing a packed summer with World Cup qualifiers and the North American Gold Cup either side of this tournament. Given the quality that El Tri possess, we see the North American champions getting a positive result against Russia here.
The favourites should be able to see off the hosts, especially given how this tournament has failed to really catch on in Russia. However, the Russians do have a decent scoring record, and we see them getting a goal here. Mexico have great scoring talent, so they should trouble a dodgy Russia defence, so we’re backing a high scoring affair when these two meet. A Mexican win with over 2.5 goals scored in the match looks to be the best way to go in this game, and you can back it 11/4 with Betfred.
New Zealand v Portugal (16:00) – Over 2.5 Goals & BTTS No (6/5 with Ladbrokes)
Portugal are massive favourites to see off New Zealand, with the Kiwis bringing little to the party so far. The Portuguese will fancy their chances of winning the entire tournament, having seen Germany take a weakened side to Russia. The European champions are aiming to build on their momentum from 12 months ago, and they’re capable of pulling off another trophy success this summer. That would be the perfect way for them to warm up for next year’s World Cup, which could be Ronaldo’s international farewell. First, they need to see off New Zealand to keep their hopes of winning this competition alive.
Portugal are seen as a defensive side, but they have so many attacking options outside of Ronaldo. That’s helped them to several thumping wins in qualifying, which makes us this that they’ll record a big win this weekend. Portugal are priced at just 8/15 with Betfred to score three goals here, and they’re 2/5 with BetVictor to keep a clean sheet. However, we see a value way to combine those bets. We’re essentially backing Over 2.5 goals for Portugal and a clean sheet, with our over 2.5 and BTTS No tip, which is brilliant value at 6/5 with Ladbrokes when you consider the other prices available.
Sunday 25th June 2017
Chile v Australia (16:00) – Over 2.5 Chile goals (6/4 with Bet365)
Australia looked defensive lax against Germany in the opening game, and Chile arguably have a stronger attack at this tournament. The Chileans have won international trophies in the previous two summers, having ended their long wait for silverware by lifting the Copa America in 2015. They saw off the sides of all of the Americas when they lifted the centenary Copa America last year, and now they’re aiming to win the Confederations Cup and keep the great form rolling on to Russia 2018.
Australia did better than expected in their 3-2 loss to Germany, which was certainly a step up from their 4-0 defeat to Brazil before the tournament. However, both results showed a lack of quality at the back, and Chile should expose that. They should have Alexis Sanchez ready from the start here, and he’s just one of a number of mercurial talents that the South American champions can call upon. We expect them to rack up a few goals in this one, so we’re backing over 2.5 goals from Chile at 6/4 with Bet365.
Germany v Cameroon (16:00) – Germany to win and under 2.5 goals (3/1 with Coral)
Germany started off with a bang against Australia, but they’ll be happy to face a less adventurous side in their final game. Cameroon won the African Nations Cup on the back of a solid defence, and they’ll be hoping to continue that in the Confederations Cup, and at the World Cup next summer. They frustrated Chile for long periods in their opener, and we can see the African champions setting up to do the same against this Germany side. Could their inexperience mean that we see Germany shut out for long portions of this clash too?
We can see Germany struggling to find a way around Cameroon, especially if the African side can get through the first 15 minutes unscathed. However, that’s going to limit their chances going forwards, while Germany’s pressing game will cause the underdogs plenty of problems. We see a low scoring affair here, with Germany taking their time before eventually breaking through their defence. Don’t go expecting another 3-2 thriller; a 1-0 or 2-0 victory for the Germans sounds about right to us. That makes Germany and under 2.5 goals look like brilliant value at 3/1 with Coral, and that’s our tip on this clash.