The league season has come to a close in most countries, the EL and CL finals are coming up next week as well, so it's time to look forward to a competition to fill the summer break: This year, it's the Confederations Cup in Russia, which serves as a rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup held there next year.
Eight teams will compete in two groups:
Group A:
Russia:
Automatically qualified as hosts, they still have an aging squad just like in previous tournaments, despite finally letting old man Ignashevich go. Still plenty of old players, with 11 of 23 being at least 30 years old. Still haven't come up with a better keeper than Akinfeev as well.
New Zealand:
Shockingly won the OFC Nations Cup in 2016 by beating Papua New Guinea on penalties (4-2). Apparently their squad hasn't been named yet. In any case, they will probably be the underdogs in this group.
Portugal:
Beat France in the EURO 2016 final to claim their spot in the tournament. The squad hasn't been named yet, so we will have to see if RITS has to follow this thread closely.
Mexico:
Won the CONCACAF Cup, i.e. a match against the US, to qualify. They are quite the regulars at the Confed Cup, with six previous appearances, winning it in 1999. A little more than half their extended squad plays in Liga MX, and apparently Rafael Marquez is also still active at age 38. Mexico will have good chances of advancing to the semi-final if they manage to get the results against Russia and New Zealand.
Group B:
Cameroon:
Won the ACON 2017 (beating Egypt 2-1) and will make their third appearance at the tournament. No squad information yet. Outside chance at second place in the group imo.
Chile:
Will make their Confederations Cup debut after winning the Copa America final against Argentina (I'm sure RITS will post the corresponding picture soon). The extended squad contains both experienced internationals as well as domestic youngsters. Much will depend on how many of the experienced players will be in the final squad, but the semi-final seems well within reach.
Australia:
Beat South Korea 2-1 in the AFC Asian Cup Final to advance to the tournament. Their squad is scattered all over Europe, and is pretty young aside from 37-year old Tim Cahill. They will struggle to get to the KO stage.
Germany:
Qualified by winning the 2014 World Cup, and will sent the exact opposite squad compared to the hosts: Jogi Löw did not nominate a single player over the age of 30, and also nominated seven debutants: Sandro Wagner, who had a good season at Hoffenheim, as well as Lars Stindl from Gladbach. Kevin Trapp has been called up a bunch of times already, but has no cap. Further new additions include Diego Demme, midfielder from RB Leipzig, Marvin Plattenhardt, Kerem Demirbay and Ajax youngster Amin Younes.
Might not be favorites due to the relatively inexperienced squad, but Germany is a TURNIERMANNSCHAFT, so they might still deliver.
Schedule (all times UTC+3)
Group A:
June 17, 18:00: Russia - New Zealand
June 18, 18:00: Portugal - Mexico
June 21, 18:00: Russia - Portugal
June 21, 21:00: Mexico - New Zealand
June 24, 18:00: Mexico - Russia
June 24, 18:00: New Zealand - Portugal
Group B:
June 18, 21:00: Cameroon - Chile
June 19, 18:00: Australia - Germany
June 22, 18:00: Cameroon - Australia
June 22, 21:00: Germany - Chile
June 25, 18:00: Germany - Cameroon
June 25, 18:00: Chile - Australia
June 28, 21:00: Winner Group A - Runner-Up Group B
June 29, 21:00: Winner Group B - Runner-Up Group A
July 2, 15:00: Third place match
July 2, 21:00: Final
Betting odds:
Germany 3 (Bet365)
Portugal 5 (William Hill)
Chile 6.5 (MarathonBet)
Russia 11 (Bet365)
Mexico 14.5 (MarathonBet)
Cameroon 34 (William Hill)
Australia 67 (William Hill)
New Zealand 501 (Bet365)
Let's roll.