FIFA Club World Cup Quarter-Finals Preview

The Club World Cup continues over Friday and Saturday with eight teams, including surprise contenders Al Hilal, vying for places in the final four. Al Hilal delivered the shock of the tournament with their 4-3 extra-time success over Manchester City, but they must quickly refocus for a tricky quarter-final against Brazilian giants Fluminense, who were the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions.

The winners will advance to a semi-final clash against Chelsea or Palmeiras, who do battle in Philadelphia. There is even greater strength in the bottom half of the draw with Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain taking on Bayern Munich and 15-time European champions Real Madrid locking horns with Borussia Dortmund.

Fluminense to qualify v Al Hilal @ 1/1 with Betfred

Al Hilal enjoyed playing the role of the underdog when overcoming Manchester City in the round of 16, but they will have to deal with a different type of pressure against Fluminense and may struggle to come up with the right answers. The UAE champions are odds-on favourites to progress from the tie but they might be suffering from mental and physical fatigue after digging so deep against Pep Guardiola’s side. 

Fluminense had a more straightforward round-of-16 experience, winning 2-0 against Inter Milan, and appear to be in the mood to go at least another step further. The Brazilians are a no frills side, but they have kept three clean sheets in four games and their solid defence could be key to winning an evenly-matched quarter-final.

Chelsea to win v Palmeiras @ 11/10 with AK Bets

Chelsea have outlasted Premier League rivals Manchester City at the Club World Cup and they can continue their journey by defeating Palmeiras at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The Blues had mixed fortunes in the group stage but they showed a killer instinct against Benfica with a 4-1 extra-time success. A strong bench was key to defeating the Portuguese giants with substitutes Christopher Nkunku and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall getting on the scoresheet. 

And the depth to Chelsea’s resources could come into play against Palmeiras, who have relied more on a core group of players. Palmeiras remain unbeaten, but they have had a fairly soft route through to the quarter-finals and may struggle to cope with the Blues, who possess an apparent advantage in terms of individual quality.

Paris Saint-Germain to win v Bayern Munich @ 5/4 with Betfred

Paris Saint-Germain seem to have gained confidence from their recent Champions League triumph and their progress towards another title can continue with a victory over Bayern Munich. Luis Enrique’s side cruised to a 4-0 round-of-16 success over Inter Miami and were able to limit the minutes of key players Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and Fabian Ruiz, who were taken off in the second half.

They have reached the quarter-finals in fantastic shape and should have too much quality and intensity for Bayern, who haven’t kept a clean sheet since a 10-0 win over part-timers Auckland City in their opening match.

Real Madrid and under 3.5 goals v Borussia Dortmund @ 8/5 with Betfred

Real Madrid are making positive strides under Xabi Alonso and should ease through to the final four with a routine, low-scoring success over Borussia Dortmund. Alonso’s side started with a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal, but they have improved with every game and may be ready to hand a first start of the tournament to Kylian Mbappe, who has recovered from illness.

Los Blancos seem to be approaching peak performance and should have too much quality for Dortmund, who may have used up their good fortune when scraping a fortunate 2-1 success over Monterrey.