Confederations Cup Preview: Chile vs Australia

Copa America holders Chile will look to progress to the semi-final stage of the Confederations Cup when they take on Australia in their final game of Group B. The South American heavyweights bagged a late 2-0 win over Cameroon in their first outing before earning a rather unsatisfying 1-1- draw against a second-string German side. On the other hand, Australia were truly outplayed by Germany in the first game where they lost by a 3-2 scoreline while they salvaged a point in the 1-1 draw versus Cameroon which has kept their semi-final hopes alive.

The game is a typical mismatch on paper with Chile possessing stars such as Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, who could dominate play on their own. Irrespective of this, the Socceroos will look to clinch a victory against the odds in order to progress into the knockouts for the first time since 2001. Australia will have to win by two clear goals in order to progress beyond the group stage.

Players to watch for:

Arturo Vidal (Chile): While all the focus is on the front pair of Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas, the play behind often goes unnoticed. Vidal has managed to drift into the box on several occasions in the tournament while bagging the opener in the Cameroon win. The Bayern Munich star also possesses a strong shot in himself, and the Socceroos backline will have a physical battle in hand with the imposing midfielder.

Mark Milligan(Australia): The Baniyas man has taken up the captaining duties under the absence of Mile Jedinak. Milligan converted the penalty which handed the Socceroos a valuable point, and he may have to push the extra inch in order to stem the Chile attack on the night.

Prediction:

The Chilean squad have integrated well at the global stage, and this has paid dividends with successive Copa America triumphs. Australia have lost just two of their last 11 outings, but the South Americans could be hard to handle.

Chile 3-0 Australia

Image – Getty