Germany vs Mexico
Confederations Cup – Semifinal
Date: Thursday, 29th June 2017
Kick-off at 19:00 UK/ 20:00 CET
Venue: Fisht Olympic Stadium (Sochi).
Preview
Assessing this game on pedigree alone paints Germany as the big favourites, with the World Cup holders having only been matched thus far in the competition by Chile, against whom they drew 1-1 last week.
But Die Mannschaft made up for that disappointment with a commanding 3-1 victory over Cameroon to decide their place as Group B winners thanks to a brace from man-of-the-match winner Timo Werner.
The RB Leipzig striker was an integral part of his club's second-place finish in the Bundesliga last term and has translated that form to the international stage. But he is just one weapon El Tri must cage if they're to progress.
Mexico have a couple of key absences to account for in preparation for Thursday's semi-final encounter, as explained by ESPN FC's Tom Marshall:
But while Germany may be a bigger brand, their Confederations Cup squad has been an experimental one for manager Joachim Low, considering only nine of his 23 players boast national-team caps in double figures.
It was six years ago that Mexico sprang a surprise 3-2 win over their German counterparts in the semi-final of the 2011 Under-17 World Cup, although Vice's Jorge Arangure noted few players remain for this match:
Despite his effort to induct new faces into the senior national team, Low has nevertheless led Germany on an impressive unbeaten streak, having last tasted defeat 13 matches ago (July 2016).
Mexico have hardly been slouches themselves, though, and while their six-match undefeated run may not be as intimidating, the fact that's just one of the two defeats they've suffered in the past two years speaks volumes.
Osorio has marshalled his team into a disciplined and tough-to-break-down machine since he was appointed in 2015, and the El Tri chief isn't without his own selection of game-changers, as has been clear in their play.
One of those is recent PSV Eindhoven recruit Hirving Lozano, who recently moved from Liga MX club Pachuca, and he dazzled against Russia, per ESPN FC:
He showed a lot of heart to nab the winner against the hosts, and he possesses the kind of elite pace that can trouble even the stern defence of Germany, bringing a valuable sense of unpredictability to the Mexican attack.
Both teams will have chances to score goals considering clean sheets have been at a premium so far—neither team has managed to keep one in the tournament—but Germany's stars should have the composure to pull through in the end.
Germany vs Mexico: Head-to-head
Germany and Mexico locked horns on four previous occasions and the defending World Champions won in all of those contests. Three of those games were in FIFA World Cups. While the most recent one was during the 2005 Confederations Cup, for the third placed play-off.
There was no lack of drama when these teams met at this same competition 12 years back. The match stood at 3-3 at the end of 90 minutes, before a Michel Ballack extra-time goal seal the bronze for Germans.
Germany vs Mexico: Prediction
The 2017 Confederations Cup has been a joy to watch with teams playing without pressure. With two attacking minded teams on the pitch, we could once again expect goals to fall at both ends.
On paper, Germany look like the better side, mainly because of their strong midfield and ability to finish off scoring chances.
