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The second match of group A will take place in Kazan, where Portugal will be eager to continue its miraculous performance in the international football's arena. However, things might not be so easy as they'll be facing the most experienced team of this competition in Mexico. With all due respect to Russia and New Zealand, this match will probably determine the winner of group A.
Can Portugal Win?
Christiano Ronaldo had the best year in his career as he won Champion League two times, clinched Spanish Primera, and of course, put a cherry on top by winning the European Championship with Portugal. This last win puts a lot of pressure on Ronaldo's and the whole Portugal team's shoulders as they will have to prove the world that last year was not a coincidence, but pure skills and talent. I, personally, have a lot of doubts in Portugal to win any trophy again in many years to come, but coach Fernando Santos and the team will do it all to prove me wrong.
Possible Formation - 4-1-3-2
Rui Patrício – Soares, Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro – Carvalho – Moutinho, Gomes, Nani – Ronaldo, André Silva - Manager: Fernando Santos
The Confederations Cup is a very interesting tournament because all the teams have a completely different approach toward it. For instance, Germany is coming into Russia with an experimental squad full of youngsters. Gladly, Fernando Santos decided to bring his best team to Russia, and we'll be able to see most of the players who conquered Europe in France last year.
Naturally, Christiano Ronaldo will be the key figure on the floor, and one can be sure that he can single-handedly win the game in just a few seconds. Of course, Ronaldo will have some serious support upfront. João Moutinho will be the key play-maker, and we can be sure that he is coming into the Confederations Cup with an awful lot of confidence after his stunning season with Monaco. Add Valencia's Forrest Gump (only because he runs fast. I have no idea about his brain's capacity) Nani and Barcelona's midfielder Gomes to an equation and... there are little to no flaws upfront.
However, Portugal is not so strong when it comes to the defense. Fernando Santos will most likely let the old guys with a lot of experience play as starters. Sadly, those old guys are too old to keep the fast pace. 4 defenders are older than 33 years, and their careers are slowly ending. For instance, Pepe has lost his starting position in Real Madrid this year, and I am pretty sure that he will not be of best condition for Confederations Cup. So, I bet that Portugal will have tons of problems to defend against fast Mexican forwards, especially, in the second half of the game.
Can Vela And Hernandez Become A Deadly Combination Upfront For Mexico?
It will be Mexico's sixth appearance in the Confederations Cup, and no other team has a better record this year. In contrast, it's Portugal's first appearance. What does that mean? Well, it's either Mexico is a power team and knows how to win or North America's Cup is way less competitive compared to other regions. Anyways, coach Juan Carlos Osorio claimed that he prioritizes the Confederations Cup over the CONCACAF Gold Cup, so we'll see all the best players available on Mexico's squad. That can only mean good things for football's fans.
Possible Formation - 4-3-3
Ochoa – Salcedo, Márquez, Moreno, Layún – Guardado, Herrera, Fabián – Vela, Hernández, Lozano - Manager: Juan Carlos Osorio
Mexico's key defenders are playing in elite clubs such as AS Roma (Moreno), Porto (Layún) and Eintracht Frankfurt (Salcedo). They are not the best defenders if we compare them to Germany's or Italy's play stoppers, but they are decent and reliable. Of course, I don't see this defensive line keeping a clean sheet against Christiano Ronaldo, but that's not the goal as well. The goal is to score more than Portugal, and that's why Vela, Hernández (Chicharito) and Lozano were brought to the team.
Carlos Vela, 28-year-old Mexican forward, might be the guy to look at this competition. Vela had some rough years, and he even declared that he did not want to play for Mexico, but it seems like his bad days are over and his career is back on track. Even though he only scored 10 goals for Real Sociedad this year, he was playing better than in 2014-16 seasons. I bet that Juan Carlos Osorio has a lot of hope when it comes to Vela's performance.
However, if Vela does not provide, there is always Chicharito. That man is faster than lightening, and he will have no problems to over-run the old Portugal's defenders. I am a fan of Chicharito, and it feels good to see him enjoying his game in Bayern Leverkusen after his horrendous previous years in Manchester United back in 2014-2016.
Also, Hirving Lozano is someone I would make sure to be afraid of if I were Portugal's head coach. 21-year-old youngster is playing better every year, and he finished this season with 18 goals for the local Pachuca team. There are close to no chances for him to stay in Mexico next season as many powerhouses from Europe are already trying to buy him out.
Prediction
I expect to see a lot of goals between Portugal and Mexico, even though international football games have a tendency to be low-scoring because all the players are not used against each other, and the tactics don't work as smooth as they would after 8 months of playing together. My prediction is 2-2 with Ronaldo scoring the opening goal, Portugal dominating the first half, and Mexico rising like a Phoenix in the second half.
On top of that, we must remember that Christiano Ronaldo just recently played in Champions League final and he might be tired and lacking motivation (the man won 4 huge trophies lately).
