There are a lot of heavyweights in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, with knockout stage fixtures that pit the world’s giants against each other. No Round of 16 match is bigger than the 3 p.m. ET clash between Juventus and Real Madrid. By the end of the night, one of the greats will be gone.
The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey, depending on the result of the 9 p.m. clash.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering single-use Profit Boost Tokens throughout the tournament, eligible to use on 4+ leg SGP(x)s that are +300 or longer. Here’s my favorite in this afternoon’s heavyweight battle.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus Same Game Parlay
- Real Madrid Moneyline
- Kylian Mbappé Anytime Goalscorer
- Weston McKennie 2+ Tackles
- Juventus Under 0.5 Goals
Admittedly, the Galacticos haven’t been particularly impressive throughout this tournament. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Hilal in their opening match, needed a 10-save effort by Thibaut Courtois to survive a scare from Liga MX side Pachuca, and looked in danger of being dumped out of the competition in the group stage if they couldn’t beat RB Salzburg. But they thrashed the Austrian side, winning 3-0 in a fairly convincing display, with youngster Gonzalo García scoring his second goal of the tournament.
García’s playing time came at the expense of Kylian Mbappé, who has yet to appear in the tournament as he works his way back from a bout with gastroenteritis that hospitalized him earlier on in the group stage. The French star was expected to make his return against Salzburg, but new manager Xabi Alonso opted to be conservative with his talisman, but all signs point to him being ready to go tonight. If Mbappé is on the pitch, he’s going to score a goal; dating back to the Copa del Rey final on April 26, he’s found the back of the net in eight straight games for club and country.
In addition to the lethal attacking trio of Mbappé, Vinicius Júnior, and Rodrygo, Madrid should also dominate at the back, especially with new signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen starting to feel more comfortable. Courtois, even at the age of 33, is still the best in the world at his position and leads the competition with a 93.3% save percentage, and Madrid is tied for third in the competition with just two goals conceded. Juve’s attack has been on point, but putting five past Al Ain and four past Wydad Casablanca doesn’t mean they’ll perform well against Madrid.
As for McKennie, the American has been one of Juve’s best players so far this tournament, and though he’s not typically known as a tackler — he ranked in just the 12th percentile in tackles per 90 minutes among defenders in Europe’s top five leagues — he did record two or more tackles in five of his last seven games of the Serie A season. Plus, he captained the team in each of the first two Club World Cup matches, so it’s a good bet that he’ll be on for all 90 minutes tonight.
