FIFA Club World Cup Semi-Final Tips
The Club World Cup has entered its final week with just four teams remaining to battle it out for a place in Sunday’s final.
The first semi-final takes place on Tuesday with Premier League outfit Chelsea up against Brazil’s Fluminense, the last remaining non-European side left in the competition.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were the two favourites ahead of the competition and they’ve lived up to that billing, with the Spanish giants set to face the European champions on Wednesday and we’ve got two tips for each semi-final.
Fluminense vs Chelsea (Tuesday 20:00)
Tip 1 – Fluminense double chance (win or draw) @ 11/10
Chelsea are the clear favourites to progress to the final and they may well be able to overcome Fluminense, but they might need extra time or even penalties to get the job done.
The Brazilian outfit have put together a huge unbeaten run that now stretched to 11 games after their win over Al-Hilal in a battle of the surprise packages in the quarter-finals.
The South American big guns held Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw in the group stages and then took out Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16, winning 2-0 in normal time.
Chelsea managed to see off Fluminense’s domestic rivals Palmeiras in the previous round and they were good value for that win. However, the Blues form has been mixed over the course of the tournament as they lost to Brazilian side Flamengo in the group stages and needed extra time to see off Benfica in their first knockout round.
The west London outfit came into this competition after the end of a gruelling season where they had to fight for a top-four finish until the closing stages of the Premier League campaign, while balancing their Conference League commitments and at this point, fatigue could become an issue.
In contrast, Fluminense should be fresh as the Brazilian season is still in its infancy and they have only just completed the group stages of the Copa Sudamericana.
Fluminense’s strength at the Club World Cup has been their solid defence and their slick counter attacking play, and they can at least avoid losing this game in 90 minutes on Tuesday, even if that isn’t enough to secure a place in the final.
Tip 2 - Pereira do Nascimento, Hércules over 0.5 shots on target @ 19/5
As an outside bet for this game, at least one shot on target for Fluminense super sub Hercules is worth a mention. The 24-year-old has stepped off the bench to score in both knockout rounds so far.
Those contributions may see him restored to the starting side against Chelsea and he’s averaging a solid 0.8 shots on target per 90 minutes at the CWC, so he may at least be able to test the keeper.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid (Wednesday 20:00)
Tip 1 – Paris Saint-Germain to win @ 27/20
PSG conquered Europe with a first ever Champions League triumph as they saw off Inter Milan at the end of May and they look well placed to follow that up by taking the Club World Cup.
Whoever wins Wednesday’s semi-final tie will almost certainly go into the showpiece on Sunday as the favourite, and PSG can continue their remarkable run by dumping out Real Madrid.
Aside from a shock 1-0 defeat to Botafogo in the group stages, PSG have been dominant in the USA. The French giants have picked up a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid and they eased to a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the previous round, whereas Real have been less convincing.
Los Blancos were held to a draw by Al-Hilal in the group stages and they conceded twice inside injury time against Dortmund in the last eight but held on to record a 3-2 win. Real haven’t fully settled under new boss Xabi Alonso, whereas PSG look a team firing on all cylinders and the European champions look well placed to get the job done inside 90 minutes in the second semi-final tie.
Tip 2 - Hakimi, Achraf over 0.5 shots on target @ 13/10
In the player markets, at least one attempt on goal for PSG’s Achraf Hakimi is a strong option. The Moroccan is averaging 1.8 attempts per-game in this competition and exactly one per-game on target, and he has two goals and an assist across his five appearances.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation