The UEFA Club World Cup is only days away, where some of the best teams in the world will showdown in a global competition with teams from all different countries.
The tournament will see some of the European giants, like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Chelsea, take on clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and even from New Zealand, as Auckland City will once again represent the country on a global stage.
The tournament may act as a team’s pre-season as it leads into the next season, but the incentives from progressing through the tournament are substantial for any club.
The competition holds a purse worth 1 billion dollars, with the winners earning up to 125 million.
Money like that, in the FFP football world we live in now, provides teams with multiple new opportunities.
Essentially, what I am trying to say is that just because there are some heavy favorites for the tournament, you should still expect those squads to come out guns blazing to earn their money.
Now, with all that information about the tournament out of the way, it’s time we look at the best bets for matchday one of the tournament, which is starting up within a matter of days.
Chelsea will begin their Club World Cup campaign against one of the clubs playing in their home nation, who only just recently booked their ticket into the tournament in recent weeks.
LAFC are currently sitting in 5th place in the MLS Western Conference, so they will be coming into this one as severe underdogs regarding the result.
I would expect Chelsea to carry over some of the form they showed towards the end of last season, where they beat Real Betis in the Conference League final 4-1.
With that being said, the value in this game sits within the number of goals that will be scored.
I can see Chelsea scoring a minimum of three based on their attacking talent, plus there is a chance LAFC might sneak one home from their big-name striker, who was also a former Chelsea line leader: Olivier Giroud.
Probably the best pound-for-pound match-up of the round will see Champions League-winning PSG take on Spanish giant Atletico Madrid, who will likely give the Parisian side their best run for the money until the later knockout stages.
However, I think the quality PSG boast will be too overwhelming, especially considering the way Luis Enrique has been able to set up the team against many different kinds of opponents.
Even if Diego Simeone sets up as solid of a low block as possible, I still think the high-powered PSG attack will cause plenty of damage at the Rose Bowl on Monday.
What would the Club World Cup be without the biggest club in the world, who continue to sign Galáctico-level players and prospects like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Franco Mastantuono.
With that level of investment and the talent in their squad, I think a dominant result will be on the cards here.
The first game of Xabi Alonso’s tenure as manager of the historic club will not be taken lightly, and unfortunately for Al Hilal, who even as one of the best Saudi Arabian clubs, will have to deal with all the hype surrounding this game.
I think Madrid come out to make a statement after missing out on Champions League glory, so Al Hilal not scoring could definitely be on the cards.
One of the more exciting matchups of the first round will see Brazilian giants Palmeiras take on one of the best sides in Portugal, Porto.
The game will showcase some of the best young talent in the world, as Palmeiras will start the likes of Estêvão and Vitor Roque, while Porto have Diogo Costa paired with young superstars Samu Omorodion and Rodrigo Mora, who will no doubt build a name for themselves in the tournament.
With that being said, I’m not sure which way this game will go, just because of the talent on both sides.
But a name mentioned, Samu Omorodion, could be the one to find the back of the net, following a league season in Portugal where he netted 19 goals.
The last game of the round will see Auckland City FC take on the Everest-sized challenge of facing one of the best club sides in the world in Bayern Munich.
The German champions have talent all over the park, with a squad worth 903.5 million euros, which is roughly 211 times more valuable than Auckland City FC’s squad.
Now, it’s true that every dog has its day, but I’m not sure this will be the day for Auckland City, as this game might be a bit more than they can chew.
Regardless, I think this one is a goal fest for all the fans in attendance, where we could see Bayern Munich find the back of the net early and often.