Pyramids vs Auckland City prediction, H2H and probable lineups - 14 September 2025
Auckland City FC
The opening match of the 2025 Intercontinental Cup will take place on Sunday in Cairo, where Egyptian side Pyramids will face New Zealand’s Auckland City. I’m offering a bet on the outcome of this encounter with solid chances for success.
Match preview
Last season, Pyramids mounted a serious challenge to Al Ahly in their domestic league, finishing just two points behind the champions in the final standings. Even more importantly, in the CAF Champions League final, Pyramids triumphed over South African side Mamelodi Sundowns across two legs.
This season, their Egyptian Premier League campaign didn’t start on the brightest note, and after five matches they currently sit only seventh. However, the situation has been improving in recent games, with a clear sign being their 2-0 away victory over Al Ahly in the latest round.
As for New Zealand’s Auckland City, we saw this semi-professional team at the Club World Cup in the USA, where the Kiwis suffered heavy defeats in their first two matches, conceding a total of 16 goals to Bayern Munich and Benfica. The gulf in class with Europe’s elite was massive.
However, in their third match against Boca Juniors, Auckland showed real character, earning a historic 1-1 draw. It’s worth noting that Auckland qualified for both the Club World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup as winners of the OFC Champions League. In the final, City defeated Hekari United from Papua New Guinea 2-0.
Probable lineups
- Pyramids: El-Shenawy, Hamdi, Marei, Sami, Shibi, Blati, Atef, Everton, Reda, Magdi, Mayele
- 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.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The teams have never met before on the football field
- Only two of Pyramids’ last five matches saw the “Over 2.5 goals” bet win
- The “Both teams to score” bet landed in two out of five recent matches involving the Egyptian club
Prediction
Bookmakers are giving Auckland almost no chance, pricing a Pyramids win at 1.11. We believe Auckland can hold out and avoid a heavy defeat. Our bet is “Under 4.0 goals” at odds of 1.55.
