The 2009 Confederations Cup (too may syllables, can we call it the Confed Cup for short? Or maybe the Con Cup?) kicks off in just three days time. You can see the full fixture list and TV schedule here, and a complete set of squads/rosters here.
No, it’s not the tournament that players all dream of winning. And yes, the trophy itself looks a bit like the World Cup trophy’s inbred cousin. But once we get going on Sunday, you can guarantee that all eight teams will be playing to win. So my big question right now: Who’s going to lift that inbred looking trophy?
The bookies make Spain the favourites, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see either Brazil or Italy walk away as winners. And maybe someone like Egypt or the USA can pull off a shock?
Before we get on with the predictions, here’s a quick reminder of the groups:
Group A
Iraq
New Zealand
South Africa
Spain
Group B
Brazil
Egypt
Italy
USA
I think we can all agree that Spain will win Group A. Only question is by how much.
South Africa’s results have been improving under Joel Santana (Bafana Bafana have beaten both Norway and Poland in friendlies this year) and they’ll want to impress in front of their own fans. I’m backing them to finish second.
I’m hoping/expecting to see Iraq give a good account of themselves and finish third. Winning the Asian Cup in 2007 was a pretty big deal and they beat Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia along the way. Keep an eye on striker Younis Mahmoud, the 26 year old wears the captain’s armband and was the 2007 Asian Cup player of the tournament.
Last and least: New Zealand. All the best to the All Whites, but because they’re stuck in Oceania this team very rarely gets to face any decent opposition.
So, for Group A I’m predicting:
1. Spain
2. South Africa
3. Iraq
4. New Zealand
Now for the tough one…
My money’s on Brazil to win Group B (or at least it would be if I had any). After this past week’s wins over Uruguay (4-0) and Paraguay (2-1) they’re riding high at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table. There are no semi-fit superstars to worry about, Kaka just got his big move, and even Robinho has discovered his unselfish gene.
I see Italy finishing runners up. Despite Lippi’s return, the Azzurri seem to be in a semi-transition period right now, caught between the old guard and the next generation. And yesterday’s narrow 4-3 friendly win over New Zealand won’t have done much for confidence.
The USA are also in an odd situation. From kings of CONCACAF, to calls for Bob Bradley to go after the defeat in Costa Rica, and then back to normality with a 2-1 win over Honduras. Ultimately the Confed(erations) Cup will be a good chance to play competitive football against the best in the world and see how they match up. I predict they’ll do well (maybe a creditable draw against either Italy or Brazil?) but not well enough to make the semi-fnals.
Finally, Egypt. The Pharaohs made me a fan with the way they won the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, and I’m looking forward to seeing Aboutrika, Hassan and Zidan in action again. But World Cup qualifying final round results have been sloppy, the - 3-1 defeat to Algeria leaving them winless after two games - so this is a team in bad form and facing three tough games.
So, my final Group B looks like this:
1. Brazil
2. Italy
3. USA
4. Egypt
Which means my semi-final matchups would be:
Spain vs Italy
Brazil vs South Africa
I’d back Spain (just) and Brazil (definitely) to win those games, giving us a pretty exciting final of:
Spain vs Brazil
Tough to call this imaginary game I’ve setup, but my gut tells me Brazil will win after an entertainingly close 90 minutes.
So that’s how I see this thing going. How about you? I’ll give you a template to cut and paste so you can leave your predictions:
Group A
1.
2.
3.
4.
Group B
1.
2.
3.
4.
Eventual winner:
The good news for the 2009 Confederations Cup is that all eight teams are bringing their strongest possible squads. All kinds of talent will be on display, from Kaka to Xavi to Buffon. Plus New Zealand will be there, so you know it’s the real deal.
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