Germany Edges Out Portugal, Chile on Confederations Cup Odds
It remains a battle atop the odds ahead of the start of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup this weekend, with Germany edging out Portugal to emerge as a +225 favorite for the event.
Die Mannschaft looked to be in tournament form in their last outing, failing to disappoint as heavy -10000 chalk while handing San Marino a 7-0 beating in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying last weekend, and are unbeaten in 10 contests going into Germany's tournament-opening matchup vs. Australia on Monday morning at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.
The defending World Cup champions' most recent defeat came in the Euro 2016 semi-final, a 2-0 loss to France as narrow +200 underdogs. Germany has been particularly dominant in recent World Cup qualifying contests, going 7-0-0 while outscoring opponents by a 27-1 margin.
Portugal kicks off this year's tournament at +250 on the Confederations Cup odds, closely followed by Chile, which makes its tournament debut at a strong +275.
The Portuguese are an impressive 7-0-2 in nine contests since winning the 2016 UEFA European championship, recording clean sheets in six of those wins, including a pair of 6-0 wins over Andorra and Faroe Islands.
However, A Selecção have struggled against high-level competition, dropping a 3-2 decision to Sweden in a friendly in March, and taking a 2-0 loss to Switzerland as slim +179 road underdogs in a World Cup qualifier last September. Despite those stumbles, Portugal is pegged as heavy +105 chalk in Sunday morning's group stage matchup with Mexico, and is a short -110 bet to finish atop the Group A table.
A ninth-place finisher at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Chile clinched its first-ever berth in the Confederations Cup by claiming the 2015 Copa America crown. La Roja continued their strong play a year later at the Copa America Centenario, where they successfully defended their crown after opening with long +700 odds.
But the club enters Sunday's Cameroon vs. Chile matchup at -185 on the game line, and is a +125 bet to win Group A, closely trailing the favored Germans, who lead the way at +100.
The lone squad in this year's tournament to previously win a Confederations Cup title, Mexico, is pegged at +800, followed by host nation Russia at +900.
Cameroon was the last squad to qualify for this year's tournament with its victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in early February and sits at +2500, followed by the AFC Asian Cup champion Socceroos at +3300, while OFC Nations Cup winner New Zealand is pegged as a +25000 underdog.