Top Ad unit 728 × 90

Gossip

Confederations Cup preview - Group A: Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Italy




Manchester United's Javier Hernandez is one of the big stars likely to be on show at the tournament this summer, going head to head with Kaka and Ronaldinho.

The Confederations Cup will be a welcome injection of international football for fans who are preparing for the upcoming 2013/2014 season.

In June, nations from the FIFA regions of Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North and Central America and South America will descend on Brazil in order to compete in the curtain opener for the 2014 World Cup finals.

The teams from Group A and B will be taking part in the competition with varying objectives and with varying degrees of motivation. Some are using it as a brilliant opportunity for silverware, others see it as a chance to test tactics and players and some see it as a huge inconvenience.

Group A

Brazil

The five time World Cup winners and competition hosts haven’t played competitive football since their loss to Paraguay in the Copa America in July 2011. They have spent the last couple of years playing friendlies against a huge selection of nations of varying quality, failing to achieve victory over England, Germany, Italy or Russia. Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has announced a squad which has 12 home based players and a large number of younger players, without the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho. It is seen by the Selecao as an opportunity to grow a squad capable of victory in 2014. Their odds of overall victory at the Confederations Cup are 11/8.

Japan
Alberto Zaccheroni’s side, ranked 30th in the FIFA rankings, go into the tournament on a high as they sit atop of their World Cup qualifying group and are certain to take a spot in 2014. Zaccheroni has created a strong attacking side and has implemented all his expertise from 27 years managing in Italy, in which he took charge of Internazionale, Milan and Juventus. It paid off brilliantly in 2011 when the Japanese were victorious in the Asian Cup and they will hope to have a successful tournament in preparation for next year’s World Cup. Their odds of overall victory at the Confederations Cup are 33/1.

Mexico
La Verde has followed success in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011 with a poor World Cup qualifying campaign in which they have drawn all of their three games. Manager Jose Manuel de la Torre has announced a squad, which like himself, have nurtured their talent at home in Mexico. Torre won three Mexican titles and firmly believes in the quality of the Primera Division de Mexico for creating national team players. The front line will be led by Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez who will be a huge part of the team as they enter the Confederations Cup. Their odds of overall victory at the Confederations Cup are 11/1.

Italy
The Italians played brilliantly at Euro 2012 and surprised many fans as they managed to reach the final before losing 4-0 to the Spanish. The Azzurri are clearly taking the Confederations Cup seriously and announced a squad containing players such as Buffon, Pirlo, Chiellini and Balotelli (the squad contains all but one member of the starting line-up for the final against Spain in 2012). Cesare Prandelli has created a squad which sits atop of their World Cup qualifying group and who recently drew 2-2 with their Group A competitors, Brazil. Their odds of overall victory at the Confederations Cup are 7/1.
Confederations Cup preview - Group A: Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Italy Reviewed by Kratos Olympian on 17:37 Rating: 5

No comments:

Comment Policy
We’re eager to see your comment. However, Please Keep in mind that all comments are moderated manually by our human reviewers according to our comment policy, and all the links are nofollow. Using Keywords in the name field area is forbidden. Let’s enjoy a personal and evocative conversation.

All Rights Reserved by Naija Sniffer: News Gossip Monger © 2013 - 2016
Powered By Blogger, Owner Johnnygan

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.