Wydad vs Al-Hilal prediction: WORLD: FIFA Club World Cup betting tips on match 2023-02-03 14:30.
A date with Flamengo in the semi-finals awaits whoever wins this 2023 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) second round encounter between African champions Wydad Casablanca and Asia’s continental cup winners Al Hilal. With the Stade Moulay Abdallah just over an hour away by car from Wydad’s home of Casablanca, the 22-time Moroccan champions will feel right at home as they bid to become the first ever African winner of the CWC.
Wydad manager Mehdi Nafti pointed to his side’s run of six clean sheets ahead of this clash when stating that “we will play for the victory, and the coronation”, brave claims which were also backed up by Morocco’s heroic national boss Walid Regragui, who led the nation to the World Cup semi-final. However, Wydad’s only clash against Asian opponents ended in a 3-2 second round CWC defeat to Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds in 2017, so this might not be straightforward.
The 18-time Saudi Arabian champions, Al-Hilal, enter this on the back of a disappointing 1-0 elimination to Al Feiha in the Saudi Super Cup. Although some strong form in the Saudi Pro League sees them only lag behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr by a point, so they’ll be hoping to at least emulate both of their prior CWC appearances, which saw them make it past the second round before a pair of semi-final exits.
The seemingly bottomless pit of money that Saudi clubs have access to have seen reports emerge that Al-Hilal are readying a mega deal to bring Lionel Messi to the club and further raise the profile of the league. Although they don’t have a star of that calibre, European football fans may recognise the likes of Moussa Marega, Andre Carillo and Michael Vietto, each of whom have plied their trade in top leagues across the continent.
Key battle: Wydad’s #1, Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, is yet to concede a goal after five appearances in this calendar year, although he’ll need to be on top form to repel the advances of Al-Hilal’s Salem Al Dawsari. The Saudi Arabian forward earned his homeland a national holiday by scoring the historic goal to secure one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history against Argentina (2-1)!
Hot stat: Al-Hilal have lost four of their last five CWC games, conceding 11 goals along the way.