The semifinals are underway in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia as just four teams remain. The first semifinal takes place on Wednesday in Kazan as Portugal meets Chile.
What You Need To Know About Portugal
Portugal topped Group A with two wins and a draw, scoring seven goals and allowing just two. Of course, the talisman has been captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored twice and notched an assist, but Ronaldo takes so much attention from their opponents that the rest of Portugal’s players have a ton of space to work in. Two players that have benefited from this are 22-year-old Bernardo Silva and 21-year-old Andre Silva, who have been great in this tournament and they are showing that they can carry the flag for Portugal when the likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Ricardo Quaresma move on. Defensively, Portugal have been fine, but it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against a good team like Chile. They did allow two goals against Mexico and Chile is a better team than that, and of course, Pepe is suspended for this game due to yellow cards, because that’s what Pepe does.
What You Need To Know About Chile
Chile finished second in Group B with a win and two draws, scoring four goals, but allowing a group-low two goals. Alexis Sanchez has notched a goal and an assist, but he is a constant menace for Chile and like Ronaldo, he draws attention to give space to the rest of his teammates. However, Eduardo Vargas and Arturo Vidal haven’t played up to their potential and they’ll need to play much better against Portugal than they did in a 1-1 draw against a young Germany team. Defensively, Chile have been fine with their two goals allowed, although Portugal might have the edge in goal with Rui Patricio, who has started all three matches so far. Chile has gone between Johnny Herrera and Claudio Bravo.
Outlook
These two countries have met just once in a 1-1 draw in Portugal in March 2011. Therefore, there isn’t a whole lot to go on. With Ronaldo and Sanchez on the field, there are two players that can break out of a moment of brilliance at any time and there is going to be a lot of focus on them. However, it is on the supporting casts to step up and help out their stars, and Portugal’s cast has played better in this tournament. The biggest question surrounds the age of the two Silvas as they are quite young and neither were on the team that won Euro 2016. If they can keep their nerves about them, then Portugal has a great chance to win this. For Chile, Vidal needs to be better going forward because he is much better than what he has showed in this tournament, even though he has a goal and an assist. This could be the best game that we see in this tournament from start to finish, but the pick is Portugal by the slightest of edges; this match could even go to extra time or penalties.
Soccer Betting Pick: Portugal
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