I think the Arabs are a bit better, having bought better players with their oil money and playing good football with new coaches, beating City (of course, it may have been a bit lucky that the goalkeeper was in form, but they still managed to score 4 goals against City). They played well against Madrid, maybe even better than Madrid. Fluminense, on the other hand, I think their good period will come to an end, even though they won against Inter, but Inter wasn't playing its best after saying goodbye to the coach. Inzaghi showed good form both with Inter and Al Hilal. Overall, I think Al Hilal will be in the finals.
Two running teams. Germany has a great young generation, so their future is bright. Fast, high-quality game with many 3PT shots. In the first two group matches they struggled, but later scored 175 points against Serbia and 192 against Canada. Australians may be more inclined to defense than the Germans, but I think everything will go according to the German scenario.
Perhaps a slightly unconventional matchup with American players in the game. However, I believe that the total was set due to the abundance of matches with teams that cannot handle pressure, have poor ball control, and as a result, the US can steal the ball and finish attacks in a matter of seconds. Canada has many tall players, with center forwards standing at 216, 213 and even 233cm, making it harder to score easy points near the basket in positional attacks. Historically, U19 games between these two teams usually end up being under. I hope to see Canada play smart and slow down the pace, as it is probably impossible to outrun the Americans.
There should be something similar to yesterday's match between Spain and Portugal. The Germans will attack, while the Poles will defend. A year ago, both teams played in the European Championship qualifiers and the Germans were simply dominant. The score difference was 13-1 and 12-1. In the Nations League, even teams like the Netherlands and Austria struggled against the Germans, conceding 9 corner kicks each.
Although Rublev is considerably better, but mandarin can definitely challenge, not only because he himself can do something impressive, but also because Rublev's consistency is good and there is a lot of risk in predicting the outcome considering that Rublev is one of the most unstable top level players this season, so one must evaluate whether it is worth getting involved. It wouldn't be surprising if all five sets were played in this match, as the Frenchman is certainly capable and not bad at playing on grass, but personally I think Rublev will handle the Frenchman in four sets.
P.S. A very low game over, as the Frenchman can handle the ball quite well, especially on grass, and knowing how vulnerable Rublev is, it will be worth a lot for such a game over.
Only in the first match did the Americans seem a bit off, but maybe because of the tension and pressure of the opening game. Now they look like a well-oiled machine. The further they go, the more points they score. The opponents are putting pressure on throughout the court, there are many turnovers, attacks every few seconds, and a lot of rebounds and three-pointers. I don't see what could stop such an offense. From what I've seen, Canada didn't leave much of an impression on me. If one of the more serious German teams scored 104 points against Canada, then the Americans could easily reach 110.
Good performance can be predicted here, as both players recently competed against each other in the Eastbourne tournament, where Fritz won all three sets. Both players are in solid form, although Fritz has only experienced one grass court loss this year, at Wimbledon. However, he tends to struggle in important moments, as seen with his losses against Peru and Diallo after 2 sets. This will give Fokina the opportunity and potential to take the match to 5 sets again. Fokina has managed to win at least one set against Fritz in 5 out of their 6 previous matches, making it unlikely for Fritz to win 3-0 on grass. I believe a 3-1 or 3-2 result is in favor of the American, especially since he has never lost a first round match at this tournament since 2019. I predict a 3-1 or 3-2 result in the American's favor.
Jarry looks very good in this tournament and having already won 5 matches, it seems like he won't stop there. The young Brazilian surprises with his performance, but I think experience should take over at this stage. His strong serve and consistency make Jarry a serious contender and I believe the odds for him are quite good.
Although from the coefficients perspective it can be said that the matchup between the teams is even, the Hilal team personally seems significantly stronger. They have had solid matches against Real, defeated City and earned not just decent, but rather impressive results. They also have an advantage in having some of the best football players on their team. Fluminense, having received a weak group, managed to defeat the tragic Inter which seems unable to recover from a disastrous season. In my opinion, Hilal is the superior team and should advance in this pair.
Finland champions after crushing Peru at home with 6 scored goals face the league's underdogs Oulu club. Having lost 9 out of 13 matches, Oulu with their poor defense and 28 conceded goals should surrender to KuPS, who have been in great form lately and are preparing for the Champions League qualifiers. They must be in good form and have a positive attitude to face the Champions League.
I will repeat. Žalgiris, with the returning Liviu, shows signs of life, the trajectory of form is rising. They earned a victory in Panevėžys against Peru, and on Friday a small rotation is coming to face Banga. Mastery, their own stadium, everything on VZ side.