🔊 Which team will secure their first points at the Club World Cup? After the opening round, Seattle Sounders and Atlético Madrid find themselves at the bottom of Group B, but there's still room for a comeback. Naturally, the "Colchoneros" are strong favorites heading into the upcoming clash. However, it's important to remember that the Sounders will be playing at their home ground, Lumen Field, which could be a significant advantage. Will this help Seattle's players pull off an upset?

Head-to-Head

📊 Seattle Sounders and Atletico Madrid are set to face off for the first time.

Seattle Sounders Team Overview

🟢 Seattle entered the tournament on a two-game losing streak and couldn't break it, falling to Botafogo (1-2) in the opening round. However, the American side performed better than many anticipated. Right from the start, they created chances, showing no fear against their more illustrious opponents. By halftime, Brian Schmetzer's squad found themselves trailing 0-2, having lost two aerial duels in their own box, but they didn't lose heart. In the second half, they narrowed the gap thanks to Cristian Roldan, and realistically, they should have equalized. The xG metric (2.34) indicates that the tournament hosts didn't make the most of their opportunities.

Atletico Madrid Team Overview

🔴 The "Colchoneros" wrapped up their season with a bang, netting four goals each against Betis and Girona. However, as the Club World Cup kicked off, they faced not a mid-table La Liga side but Europe's elite team. Atletico had no answer for PSG, suffering a crushing 0-4 defeat. It seemed like a mismatch on the pitch, which, in truth, it was. Diego Simeone's men had only a couple of chances worth mentioning—a goal by Julian Alvarez that was disallowed due to an obvious foul by Koke, and a golden opportunity for Alexander Sorloth, who missed an open goal. Otherwise, Paris were clearly the superior side, making Atletico's defeat fully deserved.

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Seattle Sounders

🎙 Brian Schmetzer reflected on the match against Botafogo: “Things will only get tougher from here. But if we continue to play like this, we can compete. We want to showcase our players, our team, our city. Today, we represented ourselves well. We had plenty of chances. We just couldn't find that second goal, even though we came close several times.”

❌ Stuart Hawkins and Paul Arriola will miss out due to injuries. Both absences aren't considered critical.

Atletico Madrid

🎙 "The opponent had more possession and showed more character. We couldn't win the ball back, but we showed enough composure and patience to force them into defense. We had a chance to equalize after Griezmann's strike, but their goalkeeper made the save, putting us in a tough spot. Losing 4-0 is very unpleasant, but it's all up to us," commented Diego Simeone on the defeat to PSG.

❌ Clément Lenglet will miss the upcoming match after receiving a second yellow card for arguing with the referee in the game against Paris. This is the only personnel loss for the "Colchoneros."

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Seattle are well aware that their chances of success are slim. However, after a commendable performance against Botafogo, the team will push forward. We don't believe the hosts will buckle under pressure. Considering Atletico have kept a clean sheet in only 2 of their last 10 away matches, a goal from the Sounders wouldn't be a shock. Thus, we suggest betting on both teams to score (yes).

🚩 Corner Prediction

Atletico aren't the type of team to dominate possession and deny their opponents chances when they have a favorable scoreline. The hosts will have opportunities against Jan Oblak's goal, which should result in a few corners. A solid betting option is over 2.5 corners from Seattle, as the Sounders have surpassed this mark in 15 of their last 16 games.

Despite their defeat, Seattle made a strong impression in their opening match. The team rarely loses at home, casting doubt on whether Diego Simeone's side will have an easy outing. The "Colchoneros" are expected to win with their quality, but they will need to give it their all; conserving energy is not an option now.

Regardless, we anticipate a high-scoring game. The Sounders will aim to entertain their home fans, while the visitors look to improve their goal difference, which could be crucial in the playoff race. We predict a 3-1 victory for Atlético and are betting on over 2.5 goals, a bet that has paid off in four of the last five matches involving the Madrid side.