Al Ittihad vs Auckland City prediction: WORLD: FIFA Club World Cup betting tips on match 2023-12-11 18:00.
The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) will be the 20th iteration of the event, and the last in its current staggered single elimination format before it proceeds to an expanded 32-team tournament with a group stage and knockouts from 2025. Three of the seven clubs will be making their first appearances at the event, whilst it’s akin to a debut for star-studded Saudi club Al-Ittihad, whose first and only participation came in 2005 when they entered as kings of Asia.
This time they play as the reigning league champions of the host nation (Saudi Arabia) and bring with them not only four wins from their last six competitive matches (D1, L1), but the confidence of recently topping their AFC Champions League group with five wins from six matches. As a minimum, they’ll be seeking to extend the active eight-year streak in which the host nation's representative progressed beyond the opening round. UAE’s Al-Ain (2018), Japan’s Kashima Antlers (2016) and Morocco’s Raja Casablanca (2013) have all shown in the last decade that such clubs can indeed go all the way to the final at the expense of some continental champions!
No club has appeared more in this event than New Zealand’s Auckland City (11), who across the CWC’s 23-year history have routinely dominated the OFC Champions League. But since their magical run to third place in 2014, they have suffered four successive losses as well as the embarrassment of having to make a late withdrawal in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions back home. That 2014 campaign, whilst raised as a source of inspiration in each subsequent appearance, has just two surviving members in the current squad.
On paper, there's no disputing they're likely to be out of their depth against a side featuring household names such as Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Luiz Felipe and Fabinho. Their lead-in form hasn't been inspiring either, with a pre-tournament camp in Dubai including a pair of 1-1 draws with two second-tier clubs from the UAE.
Players to watch: Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazzak Hamdallah has recorded goals in four of his last five competitive matches, while Auckland City's Dylan Manickum has been in strong form of late, scoring in five of his last seven club games (including friendlies).
Hot streak: The last five CWCs saw the opening match (host nation v OFC qualifier) produce over 2.5 total goals.