Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the third round group stage clashes will take place on Tuesday at Geodis Park in Nashville, where New Zealand’s Auckland City will take on Argentina’s Boca Juniors. I’m backing a bet on goals in this encounter, with a strong chance of success.
Match preview
The New Zealand club is having a tough tournament, but for Auckland City, participation in the Club World Cup is already a huge experience and a real test of their level. In the first two rounds, Auckland City endured a true goal storm: a 0-10 defeat to Bayern and a 0-6 loss to Benfica. The team created virtually no danger in attack—over 180 minutes, just three shots on target, a clear sign of offensive struggles.
Nevertheless, the squad tries to stay within their limits: in the entire history of their Club World Cup appearances, the New Zealanders have only once conceded more than six goals in a match. But against this Boca side, it will be tough to avoid another rout, especially if Ángel Russo’s men set their sights on an early goal and aggressive attacking play from the first whistle.
Boca Juniors approach the final group game with just one point but, crucially, with their playoff hopes still alive. A draw with Benfica and a narrow defeat to Bayern showed that the Argentinians can stand their ground against the favorites. However, to progress from the group, the Genoese absolutely need a win—and ideally a convincing one—to boost their goal difference and leapfrog Benfica on tiebreakers.
Scoring isn’t usually a problem for Boca—they’ve found the net in five of their last six matches. The defense, however, can be shaky at times: in their last six Club World Cup outings, Boca’s back line has been breached at least once in every game. Against Auckland, the main question isn’t whether Boca will score, but how many times—and whether they can keep a clean sheet in the process.
Probable line-ups
- Auckland City: Conor Tracey; Adam Mitchell, Niko Boxall, Nathan Lobo, Reghan Murati; Gerard Garriga, Dylan Manickum, Michael Den Heijer, Mario Ilich; Myer Bevan, David Yu.
- Boca Juniors: Agustín Marchesín; Jorge Nicolás Figal, Luis Advíncula, Ayrton Costa, Lautaro Blanco; Rodrigo Battaglia, Ander Herrera, Carlos Palacios, Kevin Zenón; Alan Velasco, Miguel Merentiel
Match facts and head-to-head
- Auckland City have lost two consecutive matches by a combined score of 0-16.
- Boca Juniors have drawn eight of their last eleven matches in the Club World Cup and Copa Libertadores.
- The New Zealanders have not won any of their last ten Club World Cup matches.
Prediction
Boca Juniors will dictate the tempo and are almost certain to claim victory. Auckland City will try to score their lone goal of the tournament and minimize the damage. Given the gulf in class and motivation, I predict a confident performance from the Argentinians, but not a runaway scoreline. My recommended bet is "Total under 6.5" at odds of 1.58.
