Preview and result prediction for final game between Brazil vs Spain for FIFA Confederations Cup

The national soccer team for Brazil will play the final against Spain on Sunday June 30, 2013 (6/30/2013) for FIFA Confederations Cup at 6:00 PM (New York time).

At this moment Brazil has an official FIFA ranking of 22, and Spain is 1 in world ranking.

Brazil comes from playing previous games against Mexico (FIFA ranking 17) on 6/19 in which they won 2-0, Italy (FIFA ranking 8) on 6/22 where they won with a final score of 4-2, and last game played against Uruguay (FIFA ranking 19) on 6/26 in which Brazil won with a final score of 2-1.

The next scheduled games for Brazil will be against Switzerland (FIFA ranking 14) on 8/14, Portugal (FIFA ranking 6) on 9/9.

Spain comes from playing previous games against Tahiti (FIFA ranking 138) on 6/20 in which they won 10-0, Nigeria (FIFA ranking 31) on 6/23 where they won with a final score of 3-0, and last game played against Italy (FIFA ranking 8) on 6/27 in which Spain tied with a final score of 0-0, but won the game in penalties by a score of 7-6.

The next scheduled games for Spain will be against Brazil (FIFA ranking 22) on 6/30, Ecuador (FIFA ranking 10) on 8/14, and against Finland (FIFA ranking 84) on 9/6.

Diario Palm Beach predicts that Spain will defeat* Brazil in this match.

Score Prediction:

Spain 2-1 (40.6%)

Spain 3-2 (30.5%)

Spain 1-0 (16.3%)

Spain 4-3 (10.2%)

Other results (4.1%)

Spain beats Italy 7-6 on PKs to reach Confed final

FORTALEZA, Brazil (AP) -- Jesus Navas scored the decisive penalty kick after Leonardo Bonucci sent his attempt over the crossbar, and Spain beat Italy 7-6 in a shootout after a 0-0 tie Thursday night to reach the Confederations Cup final against Brazil.

In a draining match on a night of heat and humidity, Italy's Emanuele Giaccherini hit a post in the 93rd minute and Azzurri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon deflected Xavi Hernandez's kick off a post in the 115th.
''We were lucky in the penalty shootout,'' Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. ''It was a very difficult match for us. ... It was a marvelous team effort by both teams. It was a clean and sporting match that was played under very difficult climatic conditions.''

Spain, winner of the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, will play Brazil on Sunday at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium for the title in the World Cup preparation tournament.

''Now we have to consider what we have to do in the three days to recover,'' Del Bosque said. ''We will definitely stand up to Brazil in the Maracana. The players should feel as happy as kids playing in the Maracana. They have won a lot, but they want to win in the Maracana.''

The 35-year-old Buffon and 32-year-old Iker Casillas, among the world's elite goalkeepers for more than a decade, exchanged handshakes with English referee Howard Webb before the shootout and then hugged each other.

With Italy shooting first, Antonio Candreva, Alberto Aquilani, Daniele De Rossi, Sebastian Giovinco, Andrea Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo all converted their kicks for the Italians.

Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Juan Mata and Sergio Busquets made their kicks for Spain.

After Bonucci failed, Buffon dove to his right and Navas sent the kick past his outstretched arm.
Spain beat Italy 4-0 in last year's Euro final and defeated the Azzurri 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in the 2008 Euro quarterfinals.

''We played a great match. We created and we conceded but we were always in the match,'' Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. ''They're still ahead of us but we're improving.

''In these conditions, between absences and fatigue, it's nearly impossible to go all the way, but the guys really moved me.''

Italy, missing injured Mario Balotelli, dominated the first half. Spain, without injured Cesc Fabregas and Roberto Soldado, settled down and bolstered with the second-half insertion of Navas and Mata, wound up with 54 percent possession and a 19-13 advantage in shots.

Italy will face Uruguay in the third-place match in Salvador, also Sunday.

Before kickoff, about 5,000 anti-government protesters battled police about 1 mile from the stadium.

These were the latest in a series of nationwide protests that have hit Brazil since June 17. Demonstrators, expected to turn out again Sunday, are angered about corruption and poor public services despite a heavy tax burden. Protesters also are denouncing the billions of dollars spent to host the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Neymar rubbishes Lugano diving claims

Neymar has strongly refuted claims of diving from Diego Lugano after Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Uruguay on Wednesday. 

The Selecao recorded a 2-1 victory over their South American rivals in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup thanks to goals from Fred and Paulinho, either side of an Edinson Cavani strike, to reach the final of the competition for a third consecutive time. 

But the Barcelona forward was unhappy with comments made by Uruguay defender Lugano prior to the game after he claimed that the former Santos player was guilty of diving.

"He who has a mouth speaks what he wants. This will not hurt me. What matters to me most is to help my teammates and the team win," he told reporters. 

The 21-year-old then acknowledged just how close the contest was, with nerves appearing to get the better of Brazil in the early stages of the game in front of an expectant Belo Horizonte crowd.

“It was typical of a semifinal game. We managed to control the game. We knew it would be hard but we got the win and that was the most important thing," he added. 

Brazil striker Fred was also in high spirits after his side’s victory and defended Neymar over accusations of simulation.

"The Uruguayans talked a lot before the game, some [Lugano] attacked Neymar. We beat them on the pitch, and that's our answer," he told reporters after the match. “Criticism? As I always say, I only respond on the pitch, but the crowd today was great with me. It was amazing.”

Lugano: Neymar likes to fool referees

The defender hit out at the new Barcelona signing ahead of Uruguay's clash with Brazil and warned his teammates not to be fooled by him.

Uruguay captain Diego Lugano has stoked the flames ahead of his side’s Confederations Cup semifinal against Brazil by labeling Neymar a player who likes to con referees.

The 32-year-old also hit out at the playing style of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side in what was a controversial press conference ahead of the clash in Belo Horizonte.

"Neymar is lightweight – he falls to the ground and fools the referee,” Lugano told reporters. “He can feign a foul and we must be watchful that nobody is fooled by his ability. The Chilean ref assignment is a coincidence. He will be under bigger pressure - I just hope he makes no mistakes. 

"Brazil has abandoned its beautiful football style. They now hit people. It is a tough team and it is tactical.”

Uruguay goes into the all-South American clash as the underdog but Lugano remains hopeful his side can cause an upset and go on to face either Spain or Italy in the final.

"Our history shows we can fight well in tough matches. We have brought Uruguay's team back to where it should be," he said. “We have the right to dream of beating Brazil. They are evolving well, but we have the football that allows us to dream. We know each other well. We are proud to play this game against Brazil, plus potentially Spain or Italy."

Uruguay's team bus was delayed getting to the press conference and the defender was asked to comment on how well he felt Brazil's infrastructure had coped with hosting the event one year from the World Cup.

"Brazil is a large country with lots of traffic in big cities, that's just the way it is. I respect that," Lugano said. "We have been well received here, although there were logistical issues in Recife, with the training facilities far from the hotel."

Official: Napoli signs Dries Mertens from PSV

Napoli has agreed a 9.5 million euro fee with PSV to complete the signing of winger Dries Mertens.

The Belgium international has been capped 19 times, and will become Rafael Benitez’s first signing since being appointed as the Partenopei boss.

The playmaker scored 16 goals and created a further 17 in the Eredivisie this season and is excited to take the next step in his career. 

“Rafael Benitez wanted me really badly and that gives me a lot of confidence. And when people doubt me and say Serie A is different from the Eredivisie because I won’t play against any Dutch defenders, that is when I’ll be at my best,” he told De Telegraaf.

Mertens spent the past two seasons with PSV, scoring 37 goals in 62 appearances.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the signing through his Twitter feed. 

“I am happy to tell you that a few minutes ago I closed the deal with PSV for Dries Mertens," he tweeted.

“In the last few days Dries has been in Naples. He told me that he fell in love with our city, with its greatness. Welcome Dries!”

Cristiano Ronaldo's Move to Manchester United Would be Great for Premier League

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the two best soccer players on earth no matter how you slice it, may be on the market this summer, and one of his most-rumored suitors is also one of his once-jilted teams.

Manchester United has long been linked to re-acquiring Ronaldo, who played for the Red Devils from 2003-09 before making the switch to La Liga. And now, according to the Daily Star, those talks might be getting closer and more specific—potentially even involving United stalwart Wayne Rooney:

Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have been linked to a sensational £90million swap deal between Man United and Real Madrid.

Ronaldo would cost a cool £60m and his return to the club where he made his superstar name would delight the faithful.

It would also soften the blow of losing such an icon as Rooney, who has two years left on his current United deal.

Let's ignore, for now, the impact of losing Rooney and focus of the man being acquired.

Though Ronaldo's return would be divisive for many reasons, the pros seem to outweigh the cons. Bringing Cristiano to Manchester would be like bringing LeBron to the Lakers or Albert Pujols (circa 2009) to the Yankees. Even soccer-hostile SportsCenter wouldn't be immune to the story's allure; it would be a media spectacle the likes of which England has rarely seen.

Though not always the case, the media attention focused on United would be a good thing. It's a time of change at Old Trafford: They'll have a new manager for the first time since 1986 after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, and with Rooney one foot out the door, the on-field face of their franchise would need a replacement as well.

What's the best way to avoid talking about what you've lost? Divert attention to the shiny new toy that you acquired!

Ronaldo would give United fans immediate hope in the wake of losing their incredible knight/manager. Here is a striker that has scored 50-plus goals in three straight club seasons, a man capable of playing both within the bounds of a team, but also of taking over by himself. With a top-two player in the world donning the famous red jersey, it hardly matters which man is donning the suit and tie on the sideline.

Acquiring Ronaldo would have a major impact on English soccer as a whole, too. The Premier League is in desperate need of an image overhaul, especially after this year's Champions League. The All-German final was preceded by an All-German-and-Spanish semis, a two-country showdown that England missed out on entirely.

But that's not the worst of it. The quarterfinal round, soccer's elite eight, was also without a team from the Premiership. Relative underlings like Malaga from Spain or Galatasaray from Turkey made it further than any team from England. Manchester United and Arsenal both ducked out one round earlier while Chelsea and Manchester City didn't even make it past group play.

Manchester United is always a contender in the Champions League, but adding Ronaldo to the mix would make them an instant favorite. The narrative next year would be less about "whether England can redeem last year's failings," and more about "whether Cristiano can lead United back to glory." See the difference there? The whole league could spin a positive story in place of a negative one.

It could spare itself, and all of its entrants in next year's Champions League, the added pressure of having to vindicate its country. The clubs could just go out there and play—it's what they do best, after all, is it not?

Intrinsically, Ronaldo's addition might cause a small shift in the balance of power. United, for those who don't know, did run away with the league crown in 2013, finishing 11 points clear of second-place Manchester City. There's a chance this would only make the rich richer, that it would be adding a veritable fortune to Warren Buffet's bank account.

But the Premier League has bigger extrinsic problems than intrinsic ones. Still the world's deepest league, and still the world's most popular league, domestic issues are not their primary concern. Until one team's domination affects ratings and attendance, it isn't a real problem at all.

The Premier League's problem is that despite being deeper and more popular, it is no longer considered better than the world's other divisions. One down year in the Champions League is enough to do five bad years-worth of damage.

La Liga has already gotten stronger with Neymar's move to Barcelona this summer. Bayern Munich is gearing up for a run at repeat.

If the Premier League wants to keep up, adding Ronaldo to its strongest side—while, in turn, taking him away from Spain—is the best thing it can do. 

PREVIEWS: Italy vs Brazil (22 June)

Team News

Italy

• Having secured a hard fought 4-3 win over Japan, Italy joined Brazil in the Confederations Cup semi finals and with six points acquired, Cesare Prandelli may opt to rest a number of key starters.
• The likes of Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon and Mario Balotelli are set to drop to the bench for the game with Brazil as the Azzurri aim take top spot in Group A.
• Daniele De Rossi is Prandelli's only enforced absence, with the midfielder suspended.

Brazil

• A 2-0 win over Mexico was sufficient enough to ensure Brazil became the first team to qualify for the semi finals of the Confederations Cup, as Neymar and Jô netted to secure all three points for the hosts.
• Guaranteed a place in the last four of the competition, head coach Luis Felipe Scolari make ring the changes, with only Dani Alves and man of the moment Neymar expected to retain their place in the starting XI.

Prediction

• There is little at stake between the two teams, having both qualified for the semi finals following their respective victories over Japan and Mexico on Wednesday evening.
• Cesare Prandelli will be expected to make a number of changes from the team that overcame Japan, with the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli set to be rested, while Daniele De Rossi is ruled out through suspension.
• Luis Felipe Scorlari looks set to alter his starting XI also as the hosts aim to secure a third group win at the expense of their European counterparts.
• Only Dani Alves and Neymar look set to retain their place in the first team for Brazil as they aim to end the group section of the competition win maximum points.
• While both teams will likely rest a number of regular starters, the need to secure a victory in order to avoid Spain in the semi finals will likely play on the minds of Italy and Brazil.
• However, with home advantage playing a part, Brazil will look to sneak the win in what should be a hotly contested encounter, while conceding their first goal of the tournament in the process.