Germany and Chile will meet in Saint Petersburg on Sunday for the Confederations Cup title. Neither team has ever appeared in a final in this competition, but the two teams played a 1-1 draw last week before both advanced to the semifinals.
Germany, the youngest team in Russia this summer, dismantled Mexico 4-1 on Thursday to advance. Chile, the oldest average team of the eight competing nations, outlasted Portugal in penalties to reach the final.
Over the last few years, both Chile and Germany have excelled on their respective hemispheres. Chile are two-time defending Copa America champions, having knocked off Argentina both times to raise the trophy. Germany is riding a 14-game unbeaten streak into the final, and is building momentum for a World Cup title defense next summer.
The teams played the best match of Group B earlier in the tournament. Check out the highlights:
Obviously the matchup would be different if Germany had brought their full roster, but it’s still a high-profile matchup. Julian Draxler and Joshua Kimmich are more than just talented youngsters, but they must be prepared for an older, more physical Chile squad.
Chile muscled their way past Ronaldo and Portugal, and need to recover quickly for Sunday. With an average age of 29 Chile are elder statesmen, but they didn’t show any signs of it against Portugal. La Roja dictated the game in the final minutes, and appeared stronger than a younger Portugal team as the extra time developed.
Germany have been better when they dictate play, and it’ll be interesting to see how much pressure Chile apply. It should be an interesting struggle, with the first goal proving critical. If it goes all the way to penalties, Chile have a huge experience advantage.
Germany vs. Chile Viewing Info
Date: Sunday, June 29th, 2017
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
TV Channel: Fox Sports 1 & Telemundo
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