🔊 Will the goal drought in Group A finally end? After dreary goalless draws in the first round, Brazilian side Palmeiras and Egypt's Al Ahly are set to clash for those crucial three points. The showdown will take place at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Neither team can afford to drop points now, especially with direct competitors Porto and Inter Miami facing off in a parallel match with identical records. Will the encounter between Palmeiras and Al Ahly be a high-scoring affair, and what could be the outcome?

Head-to-Head

📊 The teams have faced each other twice. Their first encounter was in 2021 at the Club World Cup: in the third-place match, after a goalless draw, Al Ahly triumphed over Palmeiras in a penalty shootout (3-2) to secure the bronze medals. Their second meeting came during the 2022 tournament in the semifinals, where Palmeiras emerged victorious with a 2-0 win.

Palmeiras Team Overview

🟢 The "Green-Whites" kicked off the tournament with a match against Porto. Despite expectations for an entertaining and high-scoring game, the teams ended in a goalless draw. Key statistical metrics favored the Brazilians—expected goals (xG), possession, and shots on target—yet they couldn't find the back of the net. Notably, Brazilian goalkeeper Weverton, the 37-year-old veteran, made three crucial saves to keep a clean sheet.

Ahly Team Overview

🔴 The "Red Devils" kicked off the Club World Cup with a match against Inter Miami. Unfortunately, the fans were left without goals in this encounter. The key moment was missed by Trezeguet, who failed to convert a penalty earned by Zizo in the 43rd minute. In the second half, Al Ahly lost their grip on the game and could have conceded several times: luck was on their side as the ball skimmed just inches past the post, while in other instances, it was the goalkeeper and captain Mohamed El Shenawy who came to the rescue with six saves. Consequently, the Cairo club extended their unbeaten streak, remaining undefeated in nine consecutive official matches.

Latest news

Palmeiras

🔝 Esteban Willian Gonçalves spent 65 minutes on the pitch and was named Man of the Match. As a reminder, following the Club World Cup, the Brazilian will join Chelsea in London, who signed him for 34 million euros.

🎙 Head coach Abel Ferreira commented on the draw with Porto: “It was an evenly matched game, but we had more chances. Football is so unpredictable. One of Porto's best players, their goalkeeper Diogo Costa, got injured, and the Man of the Match turned out to be their substitute keeper Cláudio Ramos, who made four or five incredible saves. But that's football. Porto had a goalkeeper who gave it his all and saved everything.”

💊 All registered players are preparing for the upcoming game as usual.

Ahly

🎙 Forward Wessam Abou Ali shared his thoughts after the opening match: "I'm disappointed with the result. We could have secured three points. We respect Inter Miami and their star players, but we could have wrapped up the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals."

❌ The team's leader and top scorer this season, midfielder Emam Ashour, suffered a shoulder injury in the 13th minute of the match against Inter Miami and had to leave the field. Additionally, Moroccan attacking midfielder Reda Slim is not registered for the tournament due to a hyaline cartilage injury sustained in December 2024.

⚽ Goal Prediction

⚽ Goal Prediction

After goalless draws in the opening matches, it's tough to envision a high-scoring affair in the upcoming clash, yet it's equally hard to believe we'll witness another scoreless outing. In their first-round encounters, both teams came close to scoring according to expected goals (xG). Palmeiras, by xG metrics, should have found the net twice against Porto, while Al Ahly had similar chances in their match against Inter Miami. Let's hope this time the teams will treat us to some goals – we're backing a total over 2 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

In the tournament's initial matches, Palmeiras and Al Ahly were evenly matched in terms of corners, each delivering 4. However, when looking at average stats, the edge in this area belongs to the São Paulo side. Over their last ten matches, Palmeiras have averaged 7.9 corners per game, compared to just 4.7 for Al Ahly. Considering these statistics, it seems reasonable to expect the Brazilians to have the upper hand in corners in the upcoming match – our bet: Palmeiras to win on corners.

Despite the high odds for Al Ahly to win, the first round showed that the Egyptian club should not be underestimated. Meanwhile, Palmeiras were initially seen as one of the favorites to top the group. The "Green and White" boast a blend of talented youth and players with experience in top European tournaments. While the Egyptian champions might avoid defeat, it's hard to imagine the 12-time Brazilian champions failing to score in two consecutive matches. Bet: Palmeiras to score over 1.5 goals. Predicted outcome – a 2-1 victory for Palmeiras.