2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Preview
South Africa may be a year away from hosting the World Cup, but the country is set to get a test run of sorts over the next couple of weeks as some of the world’s best national teams face off in the 2009 Confederations Cup.
The reigning champions are Brazil, who won their second Confederations Cup title in 2005, when they defeated rivals Argentina 4-1 to take the title in Germany.
This year’s eight-team field includes Brazil, who earned their place in the tournament by virtue of winning the 2007 Copa America (which they also won over Argentina in a similar three-goal rout), reigning World Cup winners Italy, current European champions Spain, the U.S. (2007 Gold Cup winners), along with World Cup hosts South Africa, who will be looking to put on a good show in front of the home crowd. The rest of the field includes Egypt (2008 African Cup of Nations winner), Iraq (2007 AFC Asian Cup winner), and New Zealand (2008 OFC Nations Cup winner).
The tournament gets underway tomorrow, with the first round of Group A matches, and that will be followed by the first round of Group B matches on Sunday. If you want to see the entire schedule, you can find it after my preview and predictions below.
Group A: Iraq, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain
Unless something unexpected happens, reigning European champions Spain should have no problem winning Group A and moving on to the semifinals. Since winning Euro 2008 last summer, Spain have breezed through their World Cup qualifying group, winning their first six matches to put themselves in a commanding position to clinch automatic World Cup qualification. With the likes of Fernando Torres, David Villa, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, and Xabi Alonso in the squad, anything less than an easy group win here would be a disappointment.
But who will join them in the quarterfinals? Of the other three teams, South Africa looks to be the best, and they’ll need to show it by getting to at least the quarters and putting in a good performance against Spain (and likely Brazil in the quarters) to prove that they won’t be a disappointment next year. However, don’t be surprised if Iraq is the team that joins Spain in the semis.
Group B: Brazil, Egypt, Italy, U.S.
Brazil and Italy are the favorites to advance out of Group B, and that’s no surprise, but I’m not kidding around when I say that the other two teams have every bit as much of a chance to make it through to the quarters as Italy.
Brazil’s squad may not include the rejuvenated Ronaldo, but Dunga has brought many of the big guns to South Africa, including new Real Madrid signing Kaka, AC Milan star Alexandre Pato, and Manchester City’s Robinho, along with many other very recognizable names.
On paper, there’s no doubt that Brazil is the group’s top team talent-wise, and they should top the group and earn a semifinal matchup that they should be heavily favored in. Italy should also advance, but I think their ceiling is the semifinals. That could change if they go top Brazil and win the group, but I don’t see Brazil finishing runner-up.
Can the U.S. or Egypt capitalize if Italy struggle? I can’t say I was overly impressed with how the U.S. played in their recent World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras, as they fell to Costa Rica and fell behind against Honduras before coming back for a 2-1 win. The comeback against Honduras was encouraging, but Brazil and Italy are different animals entirely, and Egypt should pose as much of a test as Honduras or more. Bob Bradley’s squad starts out with Italy and Brazil, and they’ll be decisive underdogs in both matches. But, if they can somehow manage a positive result in the opener against Italy, maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to go into the final group match against Egypt with a chance to make it through to the semis.
How about Egypt? Other African counterparts may boast more known names, but there’s a reason why they’re two-time defending African Cup of Nations champions. Brazil and Italy need not underestimate them, otherwise they could be in for a shock, and they could go into the USA game with a chance to move on themselves.
Group Predictions
Group A
Winner: Spain – Anything less would be a surprise, to say the least.
Runner-up: South Africa – They shouldn’t disappoint in front of the home crowds. But, if they do disappoint, Iraq will be ready to sneak on through past them.
Group B
Winner: Brazil – They’ve got the big guns, and if they pick up where they left off in two World Cup qualifying wins against Uruguay and Paraguay, they should finish atop the group.
Runner-Up: Italy – At this point, I can’t say I see them winning, with Spain and Brazil having the two best squads. But, they’re better than the U.S. and Egypt (combined), and if they don’t have any lapses, a runner-up finish should be no problem.
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Schedule
Group A Schedule
June 14
South Africa v. Iraq
New Zealand v. Spain
June 17
Spain v. Iraq
South Africa v. New Zealand
June 20
South Africa v. Spain
Iraq v. New Zealand
Group B
June 15
USA v. Italy
Brazil v. Egypt
June 18
USA v. Brazil
Egypt v. Italy
June 21
Brazil v. Italy
USA v. Egypt
Semifinals: June 24 & 25
Final & Third Place Match: June 28
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