Prediction: Russia vs Chile

Verdict: Away win

Best Odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: William Hill

The 3-0 hammering of Hungary that we correctly predicted must have served as a major confidence boost for Russia, who now hope to win their final warm-up game for the 2017 Confederations Cup. Chile began their preparations for said tournament with a comfortable triumph over Burkina Faso, but they will have much bigger fish to fry in Moscow.

Russia

Russia have experienced all sorts of problems in the build up to the 2018 World Cup that will be held on home soil, and it remains to be seen whether there is enough time to address all the issues. New coach Stanislav Cherchesov has struggled to get his ideas across after the Euro 2016 failure, but he finally had some more time to work with the squad ahead of the Hungary friendly and that proved quite beneficial. Even though Russia were not exactly outstanding at Groupama Arena, they performed admirably in a 3-5-2 formation against a good European side, controlling the game from start to finish and running out 3-0 winners. The win did come at a cost as key midfielder Roman Zobnin suffered a serious knee ligament injury that will see him miss around six months of action. The back three of Vasin, Dzhikiya and Kudryashov did well despite playing together for the first time, while Fedor Smolov’s individual quality once again made the difference in the final third, with substitute Dmitry Poloz also getting on the scoresheet.

Team News

Roman Zobnin is out through a knee injury, while Artem Dzyuba will also miss the Confederations Cup after failing to recover in time.

Chile

Having won back to back Copa America trophies in 2015 and 2016, Chile clearly deserve to be vying for the 2017 Confederations Cup trophy in Russia, and they will now get a chance to test their skills against the hosts and slowly start adapting to the climate in Europe’s most populous nation. La Roja head into the high-profile friendly in good spirits having remained in fourth position in the World Cup qualifying campaign, but they will want to secure their place at the 2018 World Cup before facing red-hot Brazil away on the final day. Before the team shift their focus back to the qualifiers, they will have the Confederations Cup to contest, and the 3-0 triumph over Burkina Faso is enough to suggest they are on the right track. After he used an under-strength side against the African team, head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi is likely to revert to his strongest XI for the game against Russia. Having been placed in a favourable group with Cameroon, Australia and star-less Germany, La Roja head to Russia as one of the favourites for the title.

Team News

Gary Medel and Alexis Sanchez have joined the squad in Russia, and they should be in contention for Friday’s game, while defender Eugenio Mena looks set to avoid sanction for being arrested for drunk driving.

Key Factors to Consider

• Russia missing a host of key players
• Chile at full strength
• Russia lost 6 of last 10 home games (W3 D1)
• Chile failed to score in last three qualifiers on the road
• La Roja won six of last nine fixtures (D1 L2)

Conclusion

Despite enjoying a 3-0 triumph over Hungary, Russia are not looking good at the moment and a number of important absentees is making life difficult for Stanislav Cherchesov. Chile, on the other hand, are at full strength and we expect them to show why they are regarded as one of the favourites for the title at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Verdict: Away win

Best Odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: William Hill