Germany Favored in Even Finals Matchup with Chile
Who: Chile v. Germany
When: Sunday July 2nd, 2017
Where: Stadion Krestovskyi–St. Petersburg, Russia
When Germany and Chile meet in the 2017 Confederations Cup Final in St. Petersburg, they will do so having already acquainted themselves with one another. In their group match earlier in June, Germany fell behind to the Chileans early thanks to an Alexis Sanchez first-half strike. Though the reigning World Cup champions eventually restored the deadlock, neither side were able to break the deadlock by the time the final whistle had blown.
The teams we will see on Sunday will be a bit different since that group match. Both have improved in the last few weeks and will be looking to take advantage of the chances they missed during their last meeting. You can look for Germany to come out playing controlled possession, while the Chileans will look to pick up where they left off against Portugal. This match is shaping up to be one for the ages, and will be full of starpower both old and young.
Match Analysis and Overview
As for how this match will play out, that much is tough to say. Normally, I would like to think that Germany has the clear advantage, but that much might not actually be the case. The reason I say this is due to the fact that Chile has begun to hit on all cylinders. Against Portugal, they may have played 120 minutes to a 0-0 draw, but Chile had chances aplenty. Though they did not capitalize on these chances, the Chileans were able to keep up a blazing pace for 120 of the 120 minutes played. By the second half of extra time the Portuguese side looked to be dogged and tired, but Portugal looked as fresh as they did in the first 5 minutes.
Germany, on the other hand, easily took care of a Mexico team that looked outmatched straight from the opening kickoff. Putting 4 goals past any opponent is a solid outing, but when that opponent is Mexico and the match is a Cup semifinal, the result carries an even larger magnitude. To be honest, there were few things to complain about when it comes to Germany’s performance both in the semifinal and throughout the group stages. Despite many of their massive stars being left out of the tournament, Germany are just as formidable opponent.
When it comes to Chile, however, the Germans can expect to see a team that plays a style similar to that of Mexico, but at a higher skill level. As such, I have some reservations with regard to how well the German defense can play. With names like Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez in the attacking third for Chile, this match will be played at a high pace. Still, the Chileans are not going to easily break down this German team. To prove that, just look at how many goals Germany has given up. What’s more, Germany has been scoring goals too. If they can continue finding the back of the net and get 1 or 2 goals in the final, they will emerge rightful winners.
Betting Predictions
As far as who is going to be an outright winner of this match, I think you have to go with Germany. ESPN agrees with me and is not giving Chile all that much of a chance. Germany are listed by Bovada at +140 odds, and I think there is a lot of value to be had in this bet. Chile are a great team and have been playing better and better with each passing match, but Germany have the all-around team play that it takes to take care of the Chileans. Their back line has been organized all tournament long, their forwards have been effective, and there are very few things to complain about.
Another bet i really like is with regard to the over/under on Bovada. Right now, there is a standard 2.5 over/under (+105/-130). I truly think that this will go over as both teams are more than competent in the offensive third of the pitch. With names like Vidal and Sanchez on Chile, i would not be surprised if the total went to 2 goals by the time the halftime whistle is blown. Bovada also offers an alternate over/under of 2 goals (-185/+145), and though the value isn’t great I think it is a great bet to make.
When it comes down to it, this match is set up to be an exciting one for so many reasons. There is a lot of talent on both sides of the pitch and I think that will become evident right away. Though these two sides battled to only a 1-1 draw back in the group stages, I think Germany has done a lot better since that match and will come out on Sunday fueled by the youthfulness that has powered them through this tournament.