It's the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals and come Thursday, June 29, Mexico will go up against illustrious Germany, the defending World Cup champions.

Here's everything you need to know about the critical semifinal match.

The Match

The German national team consists of Europe's brightest and youngest players in futbol today. The team wears its impeccable record proudly like a badge of honor and they have several rising stars to thank for that.

Expect their previous draw with Chile to be but a minor speedbump in what will otherwise be a very impressive performance against El Tri.

In addition to some tough competition, Mexico faces some serious injury concerns going into Thursday's match. Diego Reyes, Carlos Salcedo, and Hector Moreno are all suffering from physical ailments.

Mexican star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is also working through a muscle fatigue injury, forcing him to train separately from the rest of the team during a Monday practice session.

History

Germany and Mexico's last FIFA Confederations Cup match ended in a 3-3 draw back in 2005.

Prior to that, the teams competed on nine other occasions where the Germans defeated Mexico four times, lost once during a City Tournament match in 1985, and came to a draw four additional times.

Players to Watch

Coach Joachim Low leads the German team with a stellar supporting cast of elite players in the form of Emre Can, Julian Draxler, and Joshua Kimmich to name a few.

Coach Juan Carlos Osorio will have to use the tools left at his disposal. Hirving "Chucky" Lozano made a strong case in the Russia game to get some serious minutes for the next match and we suspect that Coach Osorio will oblige.

Losing team captain Andres Guardado to a yellow card suspension during the Mexico-Russia matchup puts even more pressure on the remaining players to rise to the occasion.

Prediction

Mexico has proven itself to be the clear top dog on the American continent. However, the competition across the pond, particularly the German squad, will be El Tri's biggest challenge in the tournament by far.

As much as we'd like to see our neighbors pull off a stunning upset, we're placing our bets on a 2-1 win for Germany.

Schedule and Streaming Info

The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 29. You watch it on broadcast via FS1 and Telemundo or stream it live on ITV 4 and Fox Sports Go.

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