Soccer betting continues this week as the FIFA Confederations Cup will be holding its semi-final rounds. Despite the low numbers competing at the Confederations Cup, the tournament has nonetheless given sports betting fans a window into what they can expect at next year’s World Cup. Before we break down the second half of the semi-final round, let’s take a look at how we got here.
Sportsbook Recap FIFA Confederations Cup
Eight countries entered the FIFA Confederations Cup, 7 from each of the major FIFA Confederations from around the world and Russia got its entry into the cup by hosting the tournament.
Group A consisted of Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and New Zealand. The sports betting consensus was that Portugal and Mexico would advance from this group. That turned out to be the case, despite a strong early showing on behalf of the host country. In the end, Portugal and Mexico tied for 1st with 7 points a pop.
In Group B, Germany, Chile, Australia, and Cameroon would go toe to toe. Just like Group A, the soccer betting community had a strong feeling that Germany and Chile would advance in this group. Once again, the betting community was right as Germany took 1st with 7 points and Chile snagged the No. 2 spot thanks to their 5 points.
The semi-final round will pin Portugal against Chile this Wednesday and Germany against Mexico this Thursday. We’ve already taken a look at Wednesday’s contest, so let’s break down what sportsbook players can expect this Thursday.
FIFA Confederations Cup – Germany vs. Mexico – Thursday, June 29th
When: 2:00 pm ET
Where: Olimpiyskiy Stadion Fisht
Round: Semi-Finals
TV: Telemundo, Fox Soccer
Stream: Fox Sports Go
Soccer Betting Odds:
Mexico +½ (-115) 2½ (-116) +291
Germany -½ (EV) 2½ (+101) +104
Mexico/Germany Draw +262
Mexico
As expected, the Mexicans enter this contest as the sportsbook underdog. Mexico hasn’t tasted defeat yet in this year’s tournament, but against the reigning World Champions, the odds don’t think that undefeated streak will last much longer.
Mexico’s offense has been the driving motor behind the country’s success. Behind Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos’ strong play, Mexico has posted 2 goals in each of their contests. It’ll be up to the Germans to find a way to deter this strong offensive onslaught, and there’s no doubt Juan Carlos Oorio – the 1st Colombian to manage Mexico, will have something up his sleeve for the reigning champions.
Mexico is the only team in this year’s tournament to have previously won the Cup. Mexico won the event back in 1999, when they hosted the Cup and faced Brazil in the finals.
Germany
Mexico comes into this match with heavy expectations. However, the Germans have been far from unbeatable so far, and have displayed key chinks in their armor every step of the way. The Germans will turn to captain Julian Draxler to lead them over the underdogs and bring them one step closer to international fame.
