FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 Tips
The knockout rounds at the Club World Cup have arrived and both English teams are still involved with Chelsea getting ready to take on Benfica and Manchester City preparing for a tussle against surprise qualifiers Al-Hilal.
Chelsea’s clash with Benfica on Saturday will be the first time they have faced each other since the 2012-13 Europa League final, which the Londoners won 2-1 with an injury-time goal from Branislav Ivanovic.
While Chelsea face one of Europe’s iconic clubs, City are up against a lesser-known adversary.
However, Al-Hilal were Club World Cup runners-up in 2022 and they put together an unbeaten set of results in the 2025 group stage, including an eyecatching 1-1 draw with Real Madrid.
Tip 1 – Chelsea to win @ 11/10
Chelsea had their ups and downs in the Club World Cup group stage, but they have arrived at the round of 16 in decent shape and should go a step further by defeating Benfica without the need for extra-time or penalties.
The Blues had a poor second half in their 3-1 loss to Flamengo which ruined their hopes of finishing top of Group D.
Enzo Maresca’s side bounced back with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Esperance de Tunis while giving a breather to first-team regulars Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Reece James and Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea should return to full strength and will be tough opposition for Benfica, who sprang a surprise with Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese rode their luck against the Bavarians, but they might not have much left in the tank and could succumb to the Blues, who are genuine contenders for the trophy.
Tip 2 – Fluminense to qualify @ 9/4
All four Brazilian teams advanced from the Club World Cup group phase and Fluminense’s journey could continue with a positive result against Inter at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Fluminense finished as runners-up to Borussia Dortmund in Group F and are approaching the knockout round on a nine-game unbeaten sequence.
Renato Gaucho’s side made heavy weather of drawing 0-0 with Mamelodi Sundowns in their third match but they are capable of raising their game against better opposition.
They dominated their goalless draw against Dortmund, winning the shot count 14-7, and should not be fearful of Inter, who may still be carrying some mental baggage from last month’s heavy Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
Inter wrapped up top spot in Group E with the help of a 2-0 victory over River Plate, who finished the contest with nine men.
The Nerazzurri have not been seriously tested and they are worth opposing against a resilient and well-coached Fluminense side who look overpriced to advance.
Tip 3 – Manchester City -1 on three-way handicap @ 5/6
Manchester City were the only team to finish the Club World Cup group stages with a 100 per cent record and they can kick on in the knockout rounds, starting with a comfortable victory over Al-Hilal.
Pep Guardiola did some smart early transfer business and his options are further strengthened by Rodri’s return to full fitness.
City have used 25 players but have looked as cohesive as any team in the tournament and were rampant 5-2 winners against Juventus on Thursday.
The Premier League giants will have respect for Al-Hilal, who started with a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid and finished the group phase with a 2-0 triumph over Pachuca.
But there should be a class gap between the sides, affording punters the chance to side with City at -1 on the three-way handicap.
Tip 4 – Real Madrid -1 on three-way handicap @ 7/4
There could be another one-sided affair in Miami where Real Madrid take on Juventus.
Real did not look fully focused during their 1-1 draw at home to Al-Hilal, but they performed much better in their wins over Pachuca (3-1) and RB Salzburg (3-0).
Los Blancos are a team on the up and they should sweep aside Juve, who were outclassed by Manchester City in the last of their group fixtures.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation