After a decent FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Russia, we’re now down to the final two, as Juan Antonio Pizzi’s Chile and Joachim Low’s Germany meet in the Confed Cup final in the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg on Sunday night.
These two are no strangers, having already met in this competition in the group stage. That day, the spoils were shared in a tight 1-1 draw, but who will lift the trophy this weekend?
Neither Chile nor Germany have ever won this tournament, so both will be going all out for the victory in Saint Petersburg this Sunday night.
They have arguably been the two strongest performers in this year’s Confederations Cup. The Germans may have pipped Chile to top spot in Group B, but the Chileans have been hard to break down in Russia so far. Both are worthy finalists, but will it be La Roja or the world champions who add the Confed Cup to their trophy cabinet on Sunday?
Chile v Germany
Germany claimed first place in Group B by taking seven points from a possible nine. Chile followed them closely into the semi-finals with five points from their three fixtures.
When these two squared off in their second game of the tournament in Kazan, as expected, there was nothing to split the two in an entertaining 1-1 draw. Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez gave the Chileans a sixth-minute lead, only for Borussia Monchengladbach’s Lars Stindl to equalise shortly before half time.
After getting out the group, Chile faced Portugal in the first semi-final in the Kazan Arena, whilst Germany played Mexico in Thursday’s semi in Sochi. Pizzi’s troops needed penalties to see off the Portuguese after a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes. Manchester City’s stopper Claudio Bravo was their hero, saving all three Portugal penalties.
As for the Germans, Low’s men swept the Mexicans aside in the Fisht Olympic Stadium, with two goals by Leon Goretzka in the opening eight minutes sending them on their way. Red Bull Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Ajax’s Amin Younes added second-half goals to seal the impressive 4-1 win.
This final really is a difficult one to call, especially as the pair were so evenly matched just a couple of weeks ago. However, Germany, who are playing with a second-string side in Russia, have stepped up to the mark and looked the real deal in this championship.
Although the 2014 FIFA World Cup winners have failed to keep a clean sheet, they have outgunned and outclassed the majority of their opponents in Russia. With that said, we feel the standout bet in the final is Germany to win and both teams to score in Saint Petersburg, which is generously priced at 4/1 with Sky Bet.
Germany to Win and Both Teams to Score – 4/1 at Sky Bet