In an effort to grow the game in the world’s third-largest country, FIFA is thinking big and bold. That’s why the United States is hosting the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup, with 32 of the world’s best teams descending upon 11 American cities for a $1 billion prize pool.
Italian giants Inter Milan would surely rather have the chance to re-do the Champions League final, which they lost 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, but to become the first-ever winners of the new-look Club World Cup wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. The Nerazzurri’s run will begin tonight at 9 p.m. ET with a match against Liga MX side Monterrey in Pasadena, Calif.
For the tournament, DraftKings Sportsbook is offering up a single-use Profit Boost Token, eligible to use on 4+ leg SGP(x)s that are +300 or longer. I’ve cooked one up for the Inter-Monterrey match.
Inter Milan vs. Monterrey Same Game Parlay
- Inter Milan Moneyline
- Under 2.5 Goals
- Alessandro Bastoni 2+ Tackles
- Marcus Thuram Anytime Goalscorer
Inter didn’t have the firepower to hang with an in-form, treble-winning PSG side during the Champions League final. However, Monterrey is no PSG. By market value — which is an imperfect measure for predicting a single contest, given that it takes into account a player’s age as well as his current ability — the most expensive players on the Liga MX side’s roster are Sergio Canales, Lucas Ocampos, Germán Berterame, and Nelson Deossa, all of whom are worth six million Euros. Meanwhile, 20 of PSG’s 25 players are worth more than that.
Still, Monterrey has a pretty solid defense, as it conceded the seventh-fewest goals, posted the sixth-best save percentage, and allowed the fifth-fewest shot-creating actions per 90 minutes. Combined with Inter’s elite back line, defensive-oriented play style in big matches and world-class goalkeeper Yann Sommer, we could be in for a low-scoring game.
The Nerazzurri conceded the fourth-fewest goals in Serie A this season on the fifth-best save percentage, and if they can hold off Serie A attackers, they can certainly deny the likes of Canales and Berterame. Bastoni, arguably Inter’s best player, ranked in the 77th percentile among all defenders in Europe’s top five leagues in tackles per 90 minutes and played the most minutes of any defender on the team. He recorded two or more tackles in 28 of his 63 matches this season against higher-quality opponents. Expect the Nerazzurri’s winner to come by way of Thuram, who was a more prolific goal-scorer in Serie A this season than his strike partner, Lautaro Martínez.
