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The host nation always has a lot of pressure on its shoulders in any tournament. For Russia, the Confederations Cup could end up proving to be a tremendous boost to a club that is going to desperately seek success in the World Cup next year. Or, it could end up being the beginning of the end for a team that doesn't look like it has the form to get out of the group stage in 2018. The Confederations Cup should theoretically kick off with three points against New Zealand, but nothing is a given at this point.
This Confederations Cup duel will go down Saturday, June 17, 2017, at 11 a.m. ET at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Russia -300
New Zealand +80o
Draw +400
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The oddsmakers are showing a lot of confidence in the Russians in this matchup. They're set at -300 on the moneyline and are laying almost a full two goals on the Asian Handicap. New Zealand isn't expected to score, and in fact, the Kiwis are tremendous underdogs to do so thanks to the mere total of 2.5 with -129 vig on the over.
This is as big of a favorite as Russia will be in any match in this tournament, and without three points in this one, it will be incredibly tough to get out of Group A.
Roster Analysis
The big problem the Russians have is that Artem Dzyuba was scratched from the squad just days ago thanks to a knee injury. He's one of the eight adjustments that had to be made to this roster due to various problems, but he clearly is the biggest name who won't be in the fold. There isn't a single man on this roster who has scored more than seven goals for his country playing in this tournament, and that could end up being a huge issue in a match like this one that is expected to be won.
The Kiwis though, have their share of problems, too. Winston Reid isn't making the trip to Russia thanks to a knee injury, and with that goes New Zealand's best player. The All-Whites will have problems at the back for sure, and that means they're probably going to have to produce at least one goal to get a result. Chris Wood is the most likely candidate for that, knowing that he was the top scorer in the English Championship last season.
Recent Form
Russia's matches leading into the Confederations Cup haven't been great. The team drew at home against Chile in a solid 1-1 result, while winning 3-0 in Budapest against Hungary was rock solid, too. But this is only going to be the team's fifth competitive match of the year.
New Zealand tuned up for this fixture by playing on the road against Belarus and Northern Ireland. These are fairly comparable teams to Russia, and in both cases, the White Ferns were beaten 1-0. The last time New Zealand scored in a match was against Fiji in World Cup qualifying, and this is obviously a far different challenge than that.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
We feel like the Kiwis are going to be live on Saturday to kick off this tournament. Maybe they aren't going to figure out how to secure three points, and they might not even garner one for their efforts. But laying a goal and a half with a team that isn't even ranked in the top 50 in the world feels like it would be suicide.
The pressure has mounted on this Russian team over the course of the last several years in the preparation for this moment, and though we think it'll end up snaring three points, there will be a lot of nervous moments throughout these 90 minutes.
Confederations Cup Odds: Russia 1, New Zealand 0
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