The final soccer betting matchup in Group A of the Confederations Cup should be a good one as Russia meets Mexico, who top the group with four points, while Russia has three. Portugal also sits on four points and they play New Zealand, who has none, so this is a huge game for both teams if Portugal drops points.
What You Need To Know About Russia
Russia battled hard in a 1-0 loss to Portugal in the last game, but it was a Cristiano Ronaldo goal after eight minutes that took the hosts down. Russia tried to pack the midfield and bully Portugal, but they also left a lot of space down the flanks, particularly down the left side of the field where Ronaldo was, and it bit them early. It definitely wasn’t the same Russia that faced New Zealand and won 2-0 in the tournament opener, but it was a much better opponent and Russia did well to change their gameplan and adapt; they just ran into Ronaldo, and there is no shame in losing to him.
What You Need To Know About Mexico
Mexico went into the dressing room down by 1-0 to New Zealand at halftime, but goals from Raul Jimenez and Oribe Peralta gave the Mexicans a 2-1 win, but it came at a cost as defender Carlos Salcedo was injured and will miss the rest of the tournament, no matter how far Mexico goes. There was also a fracas at the end of the game and it was something else that no players got red cards, only yellows, so they should everyone for this match. The Mexicans were playing with fire as they made eight changes from their 2-2 draw with Portugal, and they decided to let a lot of their top players have the day off. It almost came back to bite them as Mexico looked all out of sorts against New Zealand, but in the end, they got what they needed to get the three points and head to the top of the group.
Outlook
This will be the first-ever meeting for Russia and Mexico, and you can bet that the Mexicans will have their full-strength lineup on the field against the Russians, who are going to likely play as they did against Portugal. Look for Russia to sit back and absorb pressure, and look to hit the Mexicans on the counterattack. Mexico will miss Salcedo, but not a lot as he started both games, but came off as a sub against Portugal, so they have other defenders they can throw in there. Mexico has to look to get Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez going after he scored against Portugal, but then was held out of the New Zealand. Mexico was fortunate that they didn’t need their all-time leading scorer to beat New Zealand, but strikers thrive on confidence and it might have been better to have Hernandez play in this game.
This match looks like a draw as Russia will hold Mexico, but Portugal will beat New Zealand and they should join Mexico in the next round, while the hosts will go out.
Soccer Betting Pick: Portugal
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