Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns prediction: WORLD: FIFA Club World Cup betting tips on match 2025-06-17 22:00.
[p]Playing at the tournament for a third time, South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai will look to put their experience of Club World Cup (CWC) appearances in 2012 and 2020 to good use as they face South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, whose only previous venture into this global competition ended with a sixth-placed finish nine years ago. [/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Ulsan secured their CWC place through the Asian Football Confederation ranking pathway and have been a formidable force domestically in recent years, winning the K League 1 title in each of the last three seasons. They have bolstered their squad ahead of this game by signing centre-back Miłosz Trojak from Polish outfit Korona Kielce. He will be hoping to help a team who have not had the smoothest of campaigns in 2025, with a 3-1 defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last time out meaning they have won only six of their last 16 outings (D5, L5). [/p]
[p]The same cannot be said of Mamelodi, who utterly dominate South African football, having ended the domestic season as Premiership (PSL) champions for the eighth consecutive time. They lost just three games over the course of the league campaign (W24, D1), with a six-match winning streak ensuring they finished 12 points clear of second. That was followed by tears in pursuit of their second CAF Champions League triumph though, as Egyptian side Pyramids earned a 3-2 aggregate victory in the final earlier this month.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]These teams have never met in competitive action, but Mamelodi have faced South Korean opposition before in the form of Jeonbuk at the 2016 CWC, losing 4-1 in the match for fifth place.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Ulsan have lost seven of their last eight games against foreign opposition.[/p]
[p]Seven of the last eight goals scored by Ulsan have come after half-time.[/p]
[p]Mamelodi have conceded more than once in just one of their last ten fixtures.[/p]
[p]Mamelodi have not led at half-time in any of their last six matches against foreign opposition.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo is somewhat of a penalty expert, having saved more K League 1 penalties (nine) since his club debut in 2020 than any other player. He will be looking to thwart Mamelodi forward Lucas Ribeiro Costa, the PSL’s top scorer in 2024/25 with 16 goals, while his last six strikes in all competitions have served as the first or last of the game.[/p]
[p]Mamelodi will have to do without a dozen players who have stayed in South Africa, including Asekho Tiwani, who got injured in the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Betting on both teams to score looks wise for this encounter, as Ulsan have netted in eight successive matches, six of which have seen both sides score, while nine games have passed since anybody kept a clean sheet against Mamelodi, with both teams scoring in the last two.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Matt Jones[/i][/p]
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