So far, the Round of 16 in the FIFA Club World Cup has been relatively chalky; each of the four favorites so far has ended up winning, and three of the remaining seven non-UEFA teams have been eliminated, including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Flamengo briefly gave Bayern Münich a challenge, but the Bavarian giants sealed the deal in the 73rd minute through Harry Kane.
Tonight, the last Asian club — Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal — will try to keep its run alive. With a combined squad market value of 160 million Euros, they’re the second-most valuable remaining non-European side in the competition, but their path to the final is difficult. It begins tonight with a 9 p.m. clash against English giants Manchester City, whose track record needs no introduction.
City is a -425 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Al Hilal at +1000 and a draw at +550.
The DraftKings Network will have continued coverage through the latter stages of the tournament, so stay tuned for more articles breaking down everything you need to know, from previews to same-game parlays.
Manchester City vs. Al Hilal prediction, pick
After a somewhat disappointing campaign, City set out to prove something in this Club World Cup, and Pep Guardiola’s men certainly have. With respect to the defensively-stout Palmeiras and UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City has been the most impressive side in the competition. A 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca was more or less expected, but a 6-0 win against Emirati outfit Al Ain was pretty convincing and a 5-2 thrashing of Juventus the cherry on top. Instead of resting on his laurels, Guardiola sent out Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the first 66 minutes and was rewarded for it with Al Hilal instead of Real Madrid. The drubbing was thorough; City earned 76% possession and fired 24 shots to Juve’s five, and several of the team’s youngsters made an impact, as Rayan Aït-Nouri notched his first assist with the club and Sávio scored an absolute howler.
Al Hilal shouldn’t be underestimated; thanks to the bottomless resources of the Saudi Public Investment Fund — valued at nearly $1 trillion, it’s the world’s richest sovereign wealth fund — the club’s talent is impressive. Former Sky Blue Joāo Cancelo plays there, as does Serbian duo Aleksander Mitrović and Sergej Milinković-Savić. The hero of Morocco’s incredible run to the World Cup semifinals in 2022 — goalkeeper Yassine Bounou — patrols the area between the sticks. The veteran shot-stopper saved Fede Valverde’s 92nd-minute penalty in the first group-stage game to earn his team a point and ranks second in the competition in save percentage (91.7%).
While the top-level talent on both teams is somewhat comparable — Cancelo, Bounou, Mitrović, Milinković-Savić and Malcom would all get at least semi-regular playing time for a Premier League side — Manchester City’s depth sets it apart. Once Rodri, Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias and Bernardo Silva leave the pitch, players like Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Sávio, and Tijjani Reijnders are there to back them up. Joško Gvardiol, the most valuable left-back ever, has played a total of 73 minutes, Uzbekistan’s best-ever player Abdukodir Khusanov has played 63, and even 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Year Phil Foden has only started one match. Nearly every player on the Sky Blues’ roster would probably start for Al Hilal.
The winner is on the easier side of the bracket — it’ll face either Inter or Fluminense in the quarterfinals and Chelsea or Palmeiras in the semis — so I expect Guardiola to field a relatively strong side. Inter is in poor form, and Fluminense has been no more impressive than Al Hilal so far this tournament. I expect City to make a statement tonight.
