Confederations Cup Final
Tonight’s Confederations Cup final at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro is the match-up everyone was hoping for, a possible preview of next year’s World Cup final with all-conquering Spain pitted against the hosts, even if it is a bit mental that Brazil have slipped to a dismal 22nd in FIFA’s world rankings.
Probable Lineups:
Brazil: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo, Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Oscar, Hulk, Neymar and Fred.
Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Ramos, Pique, Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Pedro, Mata and Torres.
Recent form
Brazil: (WWWWW)
Spain: (WWWWW)
Players to watch:
Hulk (Brazil)
If Brazil are to stand any chance of achieving success on tonight, they will need to negate the potential impact of Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba. That task will fall upon the shoulders of right-sided attacking midfielder Hulk. The Zenit forward has not had a great tournament, with his place in the side cause for continued speculation in the Brazilian media. He has shown for his club sides, though, that he can be a potential match-winner.
Arbeloa (Spain)
Working on similar lines to the selection of Hulk as one to watch, Spain right-back Alvaro Arbeloa also has a key job to do for his side—shackle Brazil star Neymar.
At times, Arbeloa can look out of place among what is a tremendous Spain side. He sometimes lacks the composure on the ball of some of his teammates, and is prone to conceding cheap free-kicks. He cannot, though, afford to do so against Brazil.
Prediction
It is hard to bet against Spain given their outstanding record in recent years, having lost just two competitive fixtures since 2006. That said, much will also depend on how Brazil can handle the atmosphere at the Maracana.
If Brazil can harness the fans’ support and shock Spain early on, the possibility then opens up for an unexpected result. The longer the game remains scoreless, though, the more the fixture will play into the hands of La Roja. Brazil 0-2 Spain.
Fixed odds bets
Spain @ 15/8
Spread-Bets
Buy Spain / Brazil at 0.1
