Prediction: Germany vs Mexico

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: bet365

Much-changed Germany side impressed on the road to the Confederations Cup semi-finals and they will fancy their chances of defeating Mexico on Thursday. El Tri, on the other hand, were quite fortunate to defeat hosts Russia and they will need to show improvement if they want to remain in the hunt for the coveted trophy.

Germany

While many neutral fans were surprised to see Joachim Low take severely weakened squad to the Confederations Cup, chances are the national team chiefs had no problem with his selection as they trust the 57-year-old completely. The back-ups indeed showed they are worthy of the call-up as they picked up seven points from three group games to secure their place in the semi-final. Germany players helped Joachim Low become the world’s first ever coach to record 100 international wins as they sealed their progress thanks to a 3-1 triumph over Cameroon, with RB Leipzig hotshot Timo Werner bagging a brace after Kerim Demirbay had opened the scoring. Even with so many star players missing, Die Mannschaft will be feeling confident ahead of the semi-final clash against Mexico and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them qualify for the final. It is perfectly clear that Germany players see the tournament as an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the 2018 World Cup squad, and their incredible motivation has been one of the reasons why Die Mannschaft have emerged as one of the main candidates for the trophy.

Team News

Leon Goretzka, Lars Stindl, Jonas Hector and Shkodran Mustafi should be recalled, while there are no selection worries for Joachim Low.

Mexico

Mexico have successfully established themselves as one of the world’s high-profile national teams, but they have yet to make the next step and challenge for a major international trophy. Having reached the Last 16 stage at the World Cup finals on six successive occasions, only to lose each of those games, El Tri will be desperate to at least reach the quarter-finals in Russia next year. But, they will first attempt to prove their worth at the 2017 Confederations Cup, where they haven’t exactly impressed on the road to the semi-finals. Mexico shared spoils with Portugal before coming from a goal behind to record a narrow win over New Zealand and they needed just one point from their final group game against Russia. El Tri eventually managed to record a 2-1 triumph, but it is important to note that the hosts should have been awarded at least one and maybe even two penalties in the opening exchanges. Mexico now face a tough task against in-form Germany and with several important players missing, we don’t think they can qualify for the final.

Team News

Captain Andres Guadrado misses out through suspension, whereas Carlos Salcedo has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering a shoulder problem.

Javier Hernandez appears to have shaken off a muscle injury, but defender Diego Reyes is rated doubtful with a similar problem.

Key Factors to Consider

• Mexico have never beaten Germany (D3 L3)
• The two sides played out a 3-3 draw at 2005 Confederations Cup
• Germany haven’t lost a game in almost a year (W10 D3)
• Mexico are unbeaten in last six (W4 D2)
• El Tri conceded in six of last seven matches

Conclusion

The squad Joachim Low took to the Confederations Cup seem more than capable of matching the world’s strongest teams and we expect them to continue the rich vein of form against Mexico. El Tri’s performances in Russia leave a lot to be desired and they head into the semi-final without three first team regulars.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: bet365