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Russia has a chance. That's about all it could have asked for in the Confederations Cup. The odds are still long for the host nation in the tune-up event for the World Cup next year, but if Russia can find a way to secure three points against Mexico, it will have pulled off a shocker and be on to the Confederations Cup semifinals.
Don't miss the Confederations Cup action from Kazan Arena at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 24, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Mexico +140
Russia +190
Draw +230
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The odds aren't stacked quite as high against Russia as you might think. The home team here is set at +190 on the moneyline, effectively meaning the odds to advance out of this group are just that. Sure, technically, Russia could draw this match, and Portugal could lose to New Zealand to get through, but that's not the optimal way into the knockout round.
Mexico, which is through with at least a point, is set at +140 on the moneyline.
The total of 2.5 is relatively high for a game with such high magnitude.
How They Got Here
The Russians weren't bad against Portugal on Wednesday. The team was beaten 1-0 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's eighth minute goal. But for the most part, this was an affair that hung on a knife's edge for much of the action. This came on the heels of a 2-0 win over New Zealand to kick off the tournament.
Russia's success or failure in this tourney will hinge on these 90 minutes, and so too, might be the job of Stanislav Cherchesov. Not reaching the knockout rounds, particularly if this match ends in a disaster, would very likely see him dismissed from his post on the eve of the World Cup to give the new boss a full year to get the team ready for its biggest international moment ever.
Mexico hasn't been fantastic in this tourney, but at least it has enough points to know that a draw or a win will get it into the semifinals. The Mexicans will be up against it for sure against the Russian crowd, but they've handled themselves sufficiently against both Portugal in a 2-2 draw and New Zealand in a 2-1 win.
The concern for Juan Carlos Osorio is that the Mexicans have had to fight from behind on three different occasions already. They were down 1-0 and 2-1 to Portugal and were fortunate to come back for the 2-2 draw in spite of the fact that they were the better of the two teams. Then they were behind 1-0 somewhat inexplicably against New Zealand before netting two in the second half to get the three points.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Igor Akinfeev has been fantastic thus far in this tournament in net, and we have to imagine he's going to be the man who has to keep the Russians in it. The real question is going to be whether Russia can figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net, something it has only done once on its own militia in two matches.
Still, Mexico's ability to hold possession, particularly in neutral ground, is going to end up being a big problem for the hosts. El Tri have the ability to take the air out of the ball, per se, and if that turns out to be the case, this could end up being a relatively drab affair. A scoreless draw isn't out of the question, though that result would surely suit the Mexicans just fine even if they do end up finishing second in the group.
Confederations Cup Odds: Mexico 0, Russia 0
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