Classy Chile ready to raise their game against Portugal

Confederations Cup semi-final
ITV, 7pm Wednesday

Chile saved their best performances for the knockout stages at last summer's Copa America and they can demonstrate a similar trait at the Confederations Cup by defeating Portugal in their semi-final in Kazan.

Tournament football can be a rollercoaster ride and the Chileans had a major dip on Sunday, labouring to a 1-1 draw against Australia.

They were nowhere near their best and needed a second-half goal from substitute Martin Rodriguez to rescue the draw they required to secure a place in the last four.

Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi went for an attacking side against the Socceroos but the balance didn't look right in midfield.

They improved after a double substitution at half-time but it was a far from a convincing display and not one which would have marked them down as potential tournament champions.

Chile will have to raise their game but they have shown they are quite capable of doing so as their best performance of the competition was in the toughest match.

They had the edge in their 1-1 draw with Germany last Thursday, opening the scoring with a well-taken Alexis Sanchez goal and winning the shot count 11 to nine.

Chile had a much better balance against Germany with Arturo Vidal given license to join in with the front two of Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas.

And a similar approach could cause problems for a Portugal side, whose defence is weakened by a suspension to Pepe.

Bruno Alves and Jose Fonte are likely to fill the centre-back positions and their lack of pace could be exposed by the clever movement of Sanchez and Vargas.

Portugal look more settled in midfield and attack and should be feeling confident after wrapping up top spot in Group A with a 4-0 victory over New Zealand on Saturday.

Head coach Fernando Santos had the luxury of taking off Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva – ensuring the key duo are fresh for the Chile game.

Without playing at his very best, Ronaldo has been influential, scoring the only goal in the 1-0 success over Russia and the opener against New Zealand.

He is the obvious and main danger to Chile although Portugal have looked less of a one-man team at this tournament with six different players getting on the scoresheet.

One of those is Milan forward Andre Silva, who has burst on to the scene in the last 12 months (he didn't make the Euro 2016 squad), netting eight goals in 11 internationals.

With Andre Silva and Bernardo Silva becoming more influential, Portugal can look forward to a future without Ronaldo with a little less trepidation.

However, the clash with Chile looks tougher than anything they faced in the group stage and the value call is to side with the South Americans.

Recommendation
Chile draw no bet
1pt 6-5 Paddy Power

Bet on this match at soccerbase.com

Team news
Portugal
Pepe serves a one-game ban and is set to be replaced by Jose Fonte.

Chile
Chile report no fresh injuries but a tactical change looks likely with Arturo Vidal set to reprise the attacking role he played against Germany.

Key stat
Chile have lost one of their last 16 matches at major tournaments.