🔊 Can Auckland City avoid a heavy defeat in the first round of the Club World Cup? The New Zealand side finds themselves in the group of death, giving them the lowest odds of advancing to the playoffs among all 32 teams in the tournament. Bayern, on the other hand, are among the contenders for the title. In this scenario, the favorite is clear. Nevertheless, we will explore various options to provide the most insightful prediction. It's worth noting that the match will take place at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

Head-to-Head

📊 These teams have never faced each other before.

Bayern Munich Team Overview

🔴 Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title 11 times in a row until Bayer Leverkusen dethroned them last season. However, they head to the Club World Cup once again with the national trophy in hand. This time, there was little competition as they finished 13 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen.

⚪️ Bayern qualified for the Club World Cup based on their FIFA ranking, which only considered Champions League points from recent years. The Munich side have been consistently strong, reaching the latter stages of the tournament. Over the past three seasons, they've made it to two quarterfinals and one semifinal.

🔝 The key player in Bayern's attack is Harry Kane. In his debut season, he netted 36 goals, while this season he scored 10 fewer. And that's just in the Bundesliga! Unsurprisingly, he has twice been the league's top scorer. However, over two seasons, he has only one trophy to his name, the first of his career. The striker is in fine form, having recently scored against Andorra and Senegal for the England national team. As a result, Kane joined the team later in the USA. With the curse lifted, the Englishman is eager to compete for a second trophy this season.

Auckland City Team Overview

🔵 Auckland City are ten-time champions of New Zealand. This season, they also added another national trophy to their cabinet. Although they missed out on the cup, it wasn't a major setback, as they later triumphed in the OFC Champions League. The "Navy Blues" continue to dominate Oceania, winning the region's premier club tournament for the fourth consecutive time. In total, they have secured 13 such titles. As a result, Auckland City are set to participate in the Club World Cup.

⚪️ Auckland City prepared for the Club World Cup in the USA, where they played two friendly matches. Their journey began with a victory over Philadelphia Union 2 (2-0) and a defeat to Al Ain (0-1).

🔝 Myer Bevan is among Auckland's key players. The forward scored twice in the OFC Champions League final, securing the title, and is also the team's top scorer this season. Eight years ago, he played in Vancouver alongside Alphonso Davies (Bayern).

Latest news

Bayern Munich

📝 Bayern have arrived in the USA with new signings Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof. According to Transfermarkt, Bayer Leverkusen will receive €800,000, while Hoffenheim will get €300,000 for the deals ahead of the Club World Cup. However, this amount could increase if Bayern perform well in the tournament.

⭐️ All eyes at the Club World Cup will be on Thomas Müller, who is leaving Bayern after 25 years. In July, he will become a free agent and is highly likely to continue his career in the MLS. Müller shared Bayern's goal for the tournament: “We enter tournaments to win – and that starts with the first match. The mindset is set, and the coach left no room for doubt. He made it clear that we want to win.”

🔗 Despite Leroy Sané being included in Bayern's squad for the Club World Cup, he will no longer play for the club. The winger is in Turkey to finalize a contract with Galatasaray. Several candidates are lined up to fill his position, with Nico Williams from Athletic being the top priority.

❌ The upcoming match will see Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Ito, Jamal Musiala, and Kim Min-jae sidelined due to injuries. Additionally, Vincent Kompany suffered an injury during training. Nevertheless, the coach has traveled to the USA.

Auckland City

🎙 Auckland striker Angus Kilkolly acknowledges the significance of representing New Zealand against the world's top clubs: "It's still surreal that we'll be playing on the biggest stage against some of the biggest stars. This is a unique opportunity for us to express ourselves and showcase our individuality."

✅ Auckland City head into the Club World Cup with a full squad, free from any injuries.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The referee for the match is Issa Sy from Senegal. He has limited experience in international fixtures, having officiated four matches involving African national teams over the past year, with no more than three yellow cards shown per game. On average, he issues 2.25 cautions per match.

This season, Auckland have a slight edge in yellow cards, averaging 1.6 compared to 1.5. Considering the referee's statistics, a bet on total yellow cards under 3.5 seems reasonable.

⚽️ Goals Prediction

In Bayern's last 10 home games, no more than five goals have been scored. Although Cincinnati are far from Munich, this trend might continue. The end of the season, a new continent, and an unfamiliar opponent could all impact the scoring in the upcoming match. Therefore, we suggest betting on total goals under 5.5.

🚩 Corners Prediction

This season, Bayern average 6.8 corners per game. Over a span of 20 matches, they've surpassed the 10-corner mark only once. It's likely that Bayern will score early and control the game, reducing the need for numerous set pieces. Thus, a bet on Bayern total corners under 9.5 appears well-founded.

The gap in class between the teams is significant, making it unlikely for Auckland City to avoid a heavy defeat. However, if they manage to keep the deficit to three goals against Bayern, it wouldn't be considered a disaster. Therefore, we suggest a potential scoreline of 4-1.

There are doubts about Auckland's ability to score, but we acknowledge the possibility of underestimating the opponent, along with the unpredictable nature of deflections and rebounds. On the other hand, we have noted that excessive scoring shouldn't be expected as Bayern are focused on winning the tournament and might not go all out from the start. Our key bet is on total goals under 5.5.