Match for the 3rd round of the FIFA Club World Cup group stage, at Geodis Park, in Nashville. Auckland City is meeting Boca Juniors for the first time.
What We Know
- This is the first match between the two.
- The last four Auckland City games saw only one team score.
- Boca Juniors have not tasted victory in their last 6 games in all competitions (3 draws and 3 defeats).
- They have kept just one clean sheet in these games, but also ended each game with over 4.5 cards.
- Seven of Boca’s last nine games have ended with under 10.5 corners.
Betting Tip Auckland City - Boca Juniors
Scoring six goals will be a big hill for Boca Juniors to climb, especially since they don’t usually go on full attack. If they can manage it, it will be against a team like Auckland City. They will give it their best, supported by their impressive travelling supporters. Our pick is Boca Juniors over 5.5 goals scored.
- Betting tip: Boca Juniors Over 5.5 Goals
- Odds: 1.72 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 3
Auckland City
Everyone expected Auckland City to be the weakest team of the competition and arguably the weakest team in the history of top international competitions. The first game against Bayern Munich was indicative of that weakness, as the Bavarian side earned a dominant 10-0 victory over a team that showed their semi-professional status.
Things were marginally better in the second game against Benfica, this time lasting for almost an entire half without conceding. They dropped their guard right at the end of the first half, and things went downhill after that. The second half was as one-sided as they come, and the New Zealand side conceded 5 more goals amidst a storm.
Auckland City were obviously travelling to the US to enjoy the experience, and they never quite had any chance at anything materially better than losing every game. Their most realistic goal in this game is to score at least once, which will be a remarkable achievement that can boost their morale heading back to Oceania.
Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors came close to achieving a commendable result in the game against Bayern Munich on Saturday morning. Unfortunately for them, they ended up losing 2-1. They established their playing style and despite falling behind to Kane’s 18th-minute goal, they were able to equalise with Merentiel in the second half. They tried to hold on for the remainder of the game, but eventually conceded 6 minutes before the end.
Unfortunately, now they not only need a Bayern victory, but they need it to be extensive. There is a six-goal difference to overcome against Benfica, and they will need to crush Auckland City.
Miguel Angel Russo’s team will enter this game focused on achieving the best they can and scoring as many times as possible, regardless of what happens in the other game. Scoring a lot is not quite their forte, considering the last time they scored at least 6 times was in a 2021 away win against Velez Sarsfield, for the Argentinian Copa de la Liga (7-1).
