Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the third round group stage clashes will take place in the early hours of Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where Portuguese side Porto faces Egypt's Al Ahly. I'm backing a bet on goals in this encounter, with strong odds for success.
Match preview
Porto's campaign at this Club World Cup has been anything but smooth. Martin Anselmi's team tries to dictate the pace, but too often loses focus at crucial moments. Against Inter Miami, the Dragons once again started brightly and scored first, but after halftime they fell apart and allowed their opponents to completely turn the tables.
Porto's main issue is their finishing and overall creativity in attack. In their last four international outings, the Portuguese side has managed just two goals—a worrying sign for a club of their stature. But in this decisive match against Al Ahly, motivation will be sky-high: only a win will do, as a draw or defeat would dash the Dragons' playoff hopes.
Al Ahly has always been known for their resilience and ability to grind out results in tight matches—and against Palmeiras, the Egyptians held their own throughout the first half. But the second half told a different story: two goals conceded and their first setback in five Club World Cup games. Despite the loss, Ribeiro's side still has a chance to progress—though, like Porto, their fate depends entirely on the outcome of the parallel fixture.
The Egyptians will be without one of their key midfielders, Emam Ashour, which slightly weakens their engine room. Nevertheless, Al Ahly is renowned for their commitment and knack for scoring at unexpected moments. The Red Devils certainly won't be content to sit back—they know that attacking football is their only ticket to the knockout rounds.
Probable lineups
- Porto: Claudio Ramos; Martim Fernandes, Ivan Marcano, Ze Pedro; Joao Mario, Gabriel Veiga, Fabio Vieira, Francisco Moura; Alan Varela, Samu Agehova, Rodrigo Mora de Carvalho.
- Al Ahly Cairo: Mohamed El-Shenawy; Mohamed Hany, Achraf Dari, Yasser El-Hanafi, Yahya Attiyat-Allah; Marwan Attia, Hamdi Fathi, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane; Mahmoud Trezeguet, Wissam Abu Ali, Ahmed Sayed.
Match facts and head-to-head
- This will be the first official meeting between Porto and Al Ahly.
- Six of Porto’s last seven international matches have seen no more than three goals scored.
- Al Ahly has found the net in 8 of their last 12 Club World Cup games.
Prediction
Both teams are cornered and have no choice but to attack. Under Anselmi, Porto prefers to play on the front foot but often leaves gaps at the back. Al Ahly is traditionally tough in defense, but also dangerous on the counter. I expect an open game with goals at both ends. My pick: "Both teams to score" at odds of 1.73.
