The expanded FIFA Club World Cup got off to a rough start for all three Major League Soccer sides, as only Inter Miami, which notched a 1-1 draw against Egyptian giants Al-Ahly, managed a point. Seattle Sounders lost 2-1 to Botafogo, while Los Angeles FC lost 2-0 to Chelsea. Atlético Madrid had an even rougher first chapter, though, falling 4-0 at the hands of the reigning Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain.
With PSG likely to claim all three points against Botafogo, it’s unlikely that a point will suffice for either of these squads when they meet at 6 p.m. ET. Seattle will have true home-field advantage, playing at Lumen Field.
In celebration of the Club World Cup, DraftKings Sportsbook is offering single-use Profit Boost Tokens, eligible to use on 4+ leg SGP(x)s that are +300 or longer. Here’s my favorite in this clash between the two stragglers of Group B.
Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid Same Game Parlay
- Atlético Madrid Moneyline
- Julián Álvarez Anytime Goalscorer
- Nouhou Tolo 2+ Tackles
- Jesús Ferreira 2+ Shots
Atlético got absolutely throttled by Paris Saint-Germain, but to be fair, I’m not sure that anyone could have hung with Paris, given its ridiculous form. The stats were ugly — just 26% possession and five shots to PSG’s 16 — and Atlético also got seven yellow cards, one of which was Clément Lenglet’s second yellow. They certainly won’t look that ugly again against Sounders, and while Lenglet will be a big loss in attack, they should be okay without him in defense, given that he ranks in the bottom tertile among center backs in Europe’s top five leagues. That defense probably won’t be tested much against Sounders, who haven’t scored more than two goals since May 10 and enter the match on the heels of three straight losses.
That doesn’t mean Seattle won’t have its chances. Atlético has no problem building out from the back and hitting on the counter-attack, thanks to the faith that it has in goalkeeper Jan Oblak. It wasn’t just PSG last weekend; Los Colchoneros managed 30% possession in a 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen on January 21 in the UCL league phase as well as 48 and 38 in the two legs against Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Ferreira started on the right wing and managed two shots during the match against Botafogo in just 70 minutes. His position on the right should benefit the 24-year-old American, given that the suspended Lenglet plays on the left and that left-back Javi Galán is probably the worst of the regular starters. Plus, with five other players, including right center back Robin le Normand, one card away from a suspension, Diego Simeone might consider rotating his squad.
Nouhou is one card away from a suspension, too, after getting booked in the match against Botafogo, but given the Cameroonian’s value to the squad as one of its longest-tenured players and the inexperience of backup left-back Travian Sousa, I still think he’ll suit up in a game from which the Sounders desperately need at least a point. Nouhou isn’t the most prolific tackler, averaging just 1.41 per 90 minutes, but that’s largely because he’s not tested frequently. He’s won an impressive 67.2% of challenges in his career, so as long as Atlético is even somewhat aggressive in attack, he should get to two tackles on volume alone.
As for Álvarez, he’s on a two-match scoreless streak, and he’s only gone scoreless for three straight matches twice this season. He also always seem to show up for big tournaments, given his heroics in the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América with Argentina.
