2017 Confederations Cup Soccer Betting Match For Russia vs. Portugal

The Confederations Cup is becoming something of an important tournament since recent years, mainly because it serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup the following Summer. This particular version of the tournament is perhaps more important than most, as it will allow us to get a look at a couple of different things that may be important to the game as well as the latest soccer betting predictions. The first of these is how the Russians are going to be able to handle a major tournament. There were a lot of people who were surprised that Russia were handed a World Cup in the first place, and those concerns started to grow at last year’s European Championships, where Russian fans were at the heart of some of the crowd violence problems in and out of the stadiums. As far as that goes, it has been all quiet through the first couple of days. The other thing being look at here is the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. This system is used to help referees and linesmen with close calls, and it is always receving constant implementations for a few times through the first two games. This system is helping get things right, and it’s not holding up the flow of the game to great degrees, so perhaps we may see it permanently put in place for the World Cup. As far as the action goes, we have a good one on Wednesday, as Russia go head to head with Portugal, the European champions, in a game that is sure to have a big impact on how the rest of this group plays out.

In Depth Analysis On The 2017 Confederations Cup Soccer Betting Match For Russia vs. Portugal

    When: Wednesday, June 21 at 11 AM EST Where: Otkytiye Stadium, Moscow TV: FS1 Live Stream: FOX Sports GO FIFA Odds: Portugal -½ (EV)

Why bet on Russia

While much of the pressure on this tournament is on Russia and their ability to host a major tournament without any real issues, there is also still pressure on the team to perform on the field. As the hosts, get to open this tournament against New Zealand, with all the players probably well aware that Vladimir Putin was in the stands watching on. While Russia would like to have run up the score a little on an inferior opponent, their 2-0 win in the opening game was a good deal more convincing than the score suggests New Zealand is proving tough to break down, and the Russians are coming very close several times before getting the vital opening goal. They are going to need to be a lot more clinical in front of goal versus Portugal. Russia now have 2 wins and a tie in their last 3 games, and perhaps more importantly, have only given up a single goal in that run. Their defense will need to be on its game versus a powerful Portugal attack.

Why bet on Portugal

Portugal is actually coming into this game wondering how they are not sitting on 3 points after blowing a lead late versus Mexico. Result aside, the 2-2 game between Portugal and Mexico was incredibly fun to watch, and on the balance of play, the result was probably a fair one for soccer betting fans. For all of us is looking as though Portugal is doing enough to win, scoring late to go up 2-1, but the defense switching off on an injury time set piece, allowing Moreno to head home the equalizer. One surprise in this game was the appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo, as we had heard that he may be arriving later in the tournament after playing in the Champions League Final and maybe needing a rest. He played the full 90 minutes, and while not at his best, had little flashes of brilliance. Portugal have now scored 8 goals in their last 3 games, but have also given up 5, so maybe we can expect some goals in this one.

Expert Soccer Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction

We didn’t really get to see the Russian defense put to the test in the opening game versus New Zealand, but we will almost certainly see them made to work in this one. The winner of this game takes a stranglehold on the group, and with Portugal finishing up the round robin versus New Zealand, a win here would almost certainly see them move on.

Russia 1 Portugal 2