Uruguay vs Tahiti June 23, 2013

Tweet

Uruguay took a major step toward the Confederations Cup knockout stage with a victory over Nigeria. Now, the Celeste must take care of business against an overmatched Tahiti squad to join Spain as the teams coming out of Group B.

Tahiti did well simply to qualify for the tournament. Although it was clear from the outset the Toa Aito didn't have enough talent to compete, it's an experience the players won't soon forget. And they get one last outside chance to play the role of spoiler.

Uruguay can't allow for any shocking results. The favored side must take control of the match right from the outset—as Nigeria and Spain both did—and cruise to a big win. If it does that, a ticket to the semifinals and a matchup with Brazil or Italy would follow.

Knowing that, let's take a glance at all the key information for the Group B finale, followed by a closer look at some players to watch, and a match prediction

Where: Arena Pernambuco in Sao Lourenco da Mata, Brazil

When: Sunday, June 23, at 3 p.m. ET

Uruguay are not quite as good as Spain, and theoretically should beat Tahiti by fewer goals than Spain, but the Spaniards were holding back a bit despite their 10-0 margin of victory. With a potential group win and an all-time FIFA record for margin of victory in their sights, Uruguay might be a little more hesitant to let off the gas.

Tahiti are, incredibly, not mathematically eliminated from the competition. They would need Spain to beat Nigeria while beating Uruguay by eight goals to go through, but they can take comfort in the fact that they survived longer in Confederations Cup than either Mexico or Japan. Clearly, they're an emerging football power.

A win by six or seven goals should see Uruguay through to the next round, assuming that Nigeria doesn't put a beating on Spain. There is one amazing scenario where Uruguay and Nigeria could go through while Spain exits -- if Nigeria wins by four goals and Uruguay wins by eight, the defending World and European champions will be eliminated.

There's only one absence for Uruguay: central defender Diego Lugano. He's suspended for yellow card accumulation. Given how poor he's been since the 2011 Copa America, that might be a net gain for his team.

Match date/time: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET

Venue: Arena Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

Nigeria vs Spain June 23, 2013

Tweet

Spain and Nigeria help to close out the 2013 Confederations Cup group stage on Sunday.

It's no surprise that Spain have been the team of the tournament so far. While Brazil have picked up the full nine points already, La Roja have been so methodical with the way in which they've gotten the job done. You'd have to give them the edge right now.

For Nigeria, it's been downhill ever since winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. They've had to deal with problems behind the scenes, and those issues have rubbed off on the team's results on the pitch.

The Confederations Cup is an opportunity to get things back on track. The Super Eagles won't have any more time to do that, though, with the wrong result against Spain.

Here's a preview for this final match of Group B play.

When: Sunday, June 23, at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, Brazil