FIFA Club World Cup Outright – Copybet
With no major men’s international tournament this summer, the new-look FIFA Club World Cup takes centre stage as 32 teams from across the globe battle it out for the top prize.
The old format saw just seven teams face off in a mid-season event but the revamped competition follows the same format as a World Cup or European Championship.
The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the last 16 in a tournament that runs for a month.
Manchester City are the defending champions but after an abject campaign both domestically and in Europe they may struggle to defend their crown.
FIFA Club World Cup
Wed 18 June, 20:00
Tip 1: Real Madrid are the 4/1 favourites and the La Liga giants could prove to be the team to beat in the USA.
Los Blancos have endured a frustrating season of near misses as they ended up in second place in La Liga and finished as the runners-up in both the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
As such, Real are clearly taking this tournament seriously – having paid a fee to ensure a new recruit from Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is available. The players also have the extra motivation of looking to impress new manager Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish big guns have form in this tournament as they are the record five-time winners.
Backing Real at 4/1 is one option, but combining a win for the Madrid outfit with star man Kylian Mbappe to lead the scoring charts at 11/1 also has plenty of appeal.
Mbappe comes into the competition in blistering form with 12 goals in his last eight games for club and country. Real have been handed a favourable draw in the group stage with Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg completing Group H – and Mbappe could do some damage in those opening three games.
Tip 2: Brazil are well represented with Flamengo, Copa Libertadores holders Botafogo, Fluminense and Palmeiras all involved – and the latter may be able to make a deep run in the competition.
Palmeiras have been drawn in a group they should be able to get out of and from that point on they would be a match for any team in a one-off game.
Palmeiras’ toughest test in terms of a run to the last four is likely to be a last-16 tie against either PSG or Atletico Madrid.
PSG looked incredible when winning the Champions League but it remains to be seen how much they have left in the tank after a hectic campaign, while Atleti would be a stern test but Palmeiras have the quality to pull off an upset in that potential match-up.
Tip 3: Michael Olise had an incredible debut season with Bayern Munich after joining from Crystal Palace, recording a competition-high 17 assists in the Bundesliga.
Olise managed 19 assists across all competitions as he formed a strong partnership with Harry Kane in attack for the Bavarians and as a 10/1 chance he looks good value to record the most assists at the Club World Cup.
18+. UK residents only. Football betting tips are for entertainment purposes only and reflect the author’s personal opinion.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. No guarantees of outcomes.
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