FIFA Club World Cup: Best Bets for the Round of 16
The transfer window may be the focus of many fans at this stage of the year. However, the FIFA Club World Cup is doing an excellent job of providing goal-laden entertainment to provide a distraction from the endlessly churning rumour mill.
Despite the inevitable goalless draw thrown into the mix, the Group stage provided a series of cracking encounters, highlighted by Manchester City going goal crazy against Juventus and Al-Ain.
The preliminaries ended largely as expected, with most of the big guns securing a place in the knockout phase – the most notable exception being Atlético Madrid, who failed to escape Group B.
All of this makes for a cracking slate of matchups as the battle to be crowned “the best club side in the world” reaches the knockout stage. Here, we pick out our best bets in three of the most eye-catching clashes.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Miami – Sunday, 29 June, 5pm
Following that mesmerising annihilation of Inter Milan in the Champions League Final, PSG looked one of the most likely winners of this event before a ball was kicked in earnest. Three games in, and it still looks like they may take some stopping.
Having brushed Atlético 4-0 in their opener, the Parisiens then surprisingly came unstuck in Game 2. However, having bossed the shot count by 16 to 4, that 1-0 loss to Botafogo can safely be filed under unfortunate. Back in business with a dominant 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, they face the only remaining MLS side in their Last 16 clash.
PSG will see a familiar face leading the US resistance. Notching 32 goals in 75 appearances for the French side between 2021 and 2023, the living legend that is Lionel Messi has kept up his goalscoring exploits since heading stateside.
Messi’s presence will help intensify the hype surrounding this fixture. However, that shouldn't mask the fact that this game is a mismatch. Scraping through the Group Phase with two draws against mediocre opponents and a win over an out-of-sorts Porto, Inter Miami are likely to find this clash with a genuinely elite side a step too far.
We can’t see anything other than a win for Jose Enrique’s men here, but general odds of 2/9 hardly set the pulse racing. However, there may be value in the goals market. Inter Miami managed to concede only twice despite facing a whopping 22 shots against Palmeiras. We wouldn’t be surprised to see PSG match that tally in a likely one-sided affair. If that turns out to be the case, Messi and Co. will be fortunate to see their net bulge only twice this time.
- Recommended Bet - PSG to score over 2.5 goals @ 7/10 with Ladbrokes
Manchester City vs Al Hilal – Monday, 1 July, 2am
On the back of a disappointing domestic and European season, Manchester City appear to be using this competition to let off some steam. A 6-0 thumping of an overmatched Al-Ain outfit wasn’t the biggest surprise. However, their performance in hitting Juventus for five was among the best of any side in the Group phase. Winning all three group games with an aggregate 13-2 scoreline, Pep Guardiola’s men are overwhelming favourites to advance.
Al-Hilal's progress has been more pragmatic. In fairness to the Saudi Arabian outfit, few expected them to hold Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their opener to tee up qualification. Sealing the deal with a goalless draw with Salzburg and a 2-0 verdict over Pachuca, they have already performed above expectations.
The Al-Hilal journey almost certainly ends here. Watching Manchester City, it’s easy to recall the side which dominated the Premier League for so long. Free from the pressure so evident during much of the season just gone, creative influences Savinho, Doku, and Foden have rediscovered their sparkle. Throw in the lethal finishing of Marmoush and Haaland, and Al-Hilal are likely to become the latest side swept away by the blue tide.
- Recommended Bet - Manchester City to win and over 3.5 goals @ 9/5 with Ladbrokes
Real Madrid vs Juventus – Monday, 1 July, 8pm
Last but not least, the most eye-catching fixture of the Last 16, as 36-time La Liga winners Real Madrid lock horns with a Juventus outfit who can exactly match that tally of domestic successes in Serie A.
Barring that blip against Al-Hilal, Real Madrid were excellent in qualification, putting three past both Pachuca and Salzburg. That first win was all the more noteworthy considering they went down to ten men in the seventh minute.
Playing with a more front-foot approach than is often the case in Serie A, Juve succeeded in blowing away the lowly duo of Al-Ain and Wydad Casablanca. However, the pitfalls of employing that strategy against a high-class attacking unit were exposed by Manchester City.
Real look the more likely winners, but they have hardly been at their best thus far, which tempers enthusiasm. A more reliable option may be to bank on Juventus’s approach to this competition producing another goal-fest.
- Recommended Bet - Over 3.5 goals at 21/10 with Ladbrokes
A £10 treble on the above selections at the recommended prices returns £147.56 with Ladbrokes.
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