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Germany, Chile Meet In Confederations Cup Final

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Apr 23, 2020 · 7:32 AM PDT

chile squad huddle before shootouts
By D Sanchez 17 [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Flickr

Chile (+220) vs Germany (+150), Draw (+240)

Chile and Germany will face each other for the second time at the Confederations Cup this Sunday (July 2nd). The two Group B advancers will meet at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg for the final.

Germany made easy work of Mexico in the semifinal, crushing them 4-1. Meanwhile, Chile edged past Portugal by way of penalty shootouts. Despite not having a full-strength squad, Germany are the favorites to claim the Confederations Cup. But there are some great odds to be found on the underdog, and with Chile being no pushover, they could make a good bet.

Without the likes of Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels in the squad, Germany’s defense has been unreliable at times. They’ve conceded at least one goal in all of their games leading up to the final. Compare that to the 2014 World Cup, where they conceded just two goals in the group stage (both against Ghana) and two more in the knockout rounds.

Manager Joachim Löw chose to send a young, B-side team to the Confederations Cup, leaving many of his World Cup stars behind. This has allowed rising stars like Joshua Kimmich, Timo Werner, and Julian Draxler to play a more pivotal role within the team and gain some much-needed international experience.

The Chilean squad falls on the other end of the age spectrum. Juan Antonio Pizzi has the oldest  Confederations Cup side on his hands, and his players will still be sore after the grueling semifinal match that went to shootouts.

They boast a strong side. Alexis Sánchez is deadly on attack, Arturo Vidal is perhaps the best box-to-box midfielder in the world right now, and Gary Medel is a ferocious defender. But all those players are either in their late-twenties or thirties. Very soon, they’re going to have to build their squad around the younger guys.

When the two sides faced back in the Group Stage, the game was tied 1-1. A rookie-level defensive error in the fifth minute allowed Sanchez to open the scoring for Chile. Then a shot from range by Eduardo Vargas came inches from making it 2-0. But luck wasn’t on Chile’s side, and Lars Stindl netted a goal for Germany to tie up the game.

Since then, Chile have drawn all their games while Germany has won theirs quite easily. However, the current Chilean side has a reputation for performing well in high-stakes games, and their squad is far more experienced than the young German side. They’re more equipped to handle the pressure, and that may make all the difference in the final.

Pick: Chile (+220)

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