Club World Cup Day 12 Tipsheet Back River to flow into last 16 | OneFootball

Club World Cup

The Club World Cup is hurtling towards the knockout rounds

The group stage is reaching its climax at the Club World Cup, and Kevin Hatchard has four tips for us across Groups E and G...

Inter v River Plate

Thursday 02:00

As I backed River Plate to win this group in my pre-tournament preview, it stands to reason that I would back them to get at least the point they need here to give them a great chance of doing just that, although a big win for Monterrey against Urawa Reds could change that dynamic and see the Mexicans win the section.

Inter feel far too short here at 2.24. They have underwhelmed under new coach Christian Chivu, they are fatigued after a season that saw them fighting for a treble just weeks before the end, and they were pushed all the way by Japanese side Urawa. Inter needed a late piece of genius from talismanic skipper Lautaro Martinez and an even later strike from Valentin Carboni to secure an undeserved 2-1 success.

River swept aside Urawa, but then got dragged into a fight against Monterrey, a 0-0 draw that ultimately suited their opponents. Like many of their South American counterparts, River have looked sharp and have dealt well with the fierce heat.

I'll keep this simple and back River/Draw Double Chance at 1.78.

Urawa Reds v Monterrey

Thursday 02:00

Monterrey know they have to win this game to have a chance of qualifying, but they'll be comfortable with that scenario after creditable draws against Inter and River Plate. The decision to invest heavily in players with successful European campaigns behind them (Sergio Ramos, Sergio Canales and Lucas Ocampos are three examples) appears to be paying off.

However, Urawa Reds are well supported and have competed better than some expected. Although they struggled against River Plate, they led for 67 minutes of their game against Inter, despite extraordinarily having just 18% of possession. Maciej Skorza's team have been aggressive without the ball, committing 14 fouls against River Plate and 15 against Inter.

That should lead to quite a tasty encounter that could get quite heated, with a surprise place in the last 16 at stake for the Mexicans. Monterrey's game against River featured a staggering 40 fouls and ten cards, and while I don't think this will be quite so brutal, the pressure and the heat could see tempers flare.

I'll back Over 4.5 Cards here at 11/8 on the Sportsbook. That paid out in Urawa's game against River and Monterrey's match against the same opponents, and these two have already picked up 11 yellow cards between them.

Wydad Casablanca v Al Ain

Thursday 20:00

This has been a sobering tournament for both Moroccan outfit Wydad and UAE side Al Ain, as they have floundered in the same waters as two big European sharks. Al Ain have been demolished 5-0 by Juventus and 6-0 by Manchester City, and have looked a shadow of the side that won the AFC Champions League under Hernan Crespo.

Wydad actually had dangerous moments in attack against City, but a dreadful start against Juventus cost them dearly in a 4-1 defeat. Interestingly against Juve, they had more shots, more shots on target and won the xG battle, but they lacked a clinical edge in the final third.

I believe Wydad have been the more impressive of the two sides here, and I'm happy to back them Draw No Bet at 1.84. Al Ain have been a shambles thus far, and the lack of aggression against Juventus (they only committed five fouls) was startling.

Manchester City v Juventus

Thursday 20:00

This game will be covered in depth elsewhere on this site by the excellent Lewis Jones, but I want to focus on the rejuvenation of Kenan Yildiz under the stewardship of coach Igor Tudor. The Turkish international forward rather lost his way under Thiago Motta, but the 20-year-old has scored in five of his last nine games for Juventus. He has netted three goals in this tournament alone, bagging a brace in the win over Wydad.

City have to chase a win to secure top spot, which will probably be needed to avoid a last-16 clash with Real Madrid. While City always look to control games, they did lose to Juventus in the league phase of the Champions League this season, and the Turin giants found it fairly straightforward to evade the City press. Granted, this is a very different-looking City, with some sparkling new signings, but I still think Juventus can carve out a chance or two here.

We can get odds of 10/11 for Yildiz just to have a shot on target here, and if he starts that's well worth backing. The former Bayern youngster has managed a shot on target in six of his last eight starts for the Bianconeri.

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