FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP: The Ultra previews AL AHLY v INTER MIAMI with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
AL AHLY V INTER MIAMI
1am The FIFA Club World Cup has arrived, and we kick it off on Saturday night with Al Ahly clashing with Inter Miami on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE. This is the first ever Club World Cup, and obviously there has been a huge amount of debate around it. FIFA certainly seem under pressure – ticket sales haven’t been going well, and they have slashed prices after saying they are “worried about fan interest.” When this tournament was first announced, even the big European clubs were thinking about how taking it seriously – FIFA brought in rules after how strong squads had to be, and obviously there is the added prize money element too. Real Madrid paid to have Trent Alexander-Arnold earlier for this tournament; they probably wouldn’t have done that without the record prize money on offer.
Obviously from a European point of view, there’s going to be some major names we all know and love. And then there’s going to be some sides most football fans have never heard of. FIFA have had to aim things around it being the “best in the world” but because it’s open to everyone, some major European clubs aren’t here. Liverpool and Barcelona the obvious ones – Napoli possibly another given they’ve won Serie A twice in three seasons. The fact that these clubs aren’t here definitely takes away from the tournament; even if there are limited spots from each league. The winners can hardly call themselves the best club in the world, when the likes of Barcelona haven’t even started the tournament.
Another obvious issue is where FIFA have decided to host the tournament. Ticket sales would clearly be better in Europe – America doesn’t have a massive interest in football – despite FIFA clearly wanting to push it there given the money involved. They have also priced tickets too high, and now have had to dramatically slash prices. You could easily have half-empty stadiums which is clearly not a good look. We’re going to have a debate about player workload for most of the tournament too. It’s actually interesting how this all unfolds as the tournament goes on. The reality is – and we’ve seen this with Saudi Arabia hosting the Cups from Spain and Italy in recent years – is that money talks in football these days.
Al Ahly would fall into the category of most football fans not knowing or watching them, while everyone will know Inter Miami because of Messi. The reality is we’ve all seen the viral clips of Messi on social media; but I’d suggest not many fans are choosing those games over the likes of the Premier League and La Liga on a normal weekend! I think it’s shrewd to keep stakes small towards the start of the tournament – let’s see the level of some sides, and also the motivation of some clubs too. For the opening game, it’s not a surprise to see Inter Miami as favourites at 2.27 with Al Ahly 3.25 and the draw is 3.8 at the time of writing.
Obviously there’s a lot of buzz around Inter Miami, but they aren’t top of the Eastern Conference this season. They were clear winners last season, and in fairness they are only five points off top spot with a game in hand. Given their squad, they’re still likely winners. It’s not a surprise that Al Ahly dominate in Egypt – they might actually do very well against this dodgy Inter Miami defence. With Inter Miami having issues at the back this season, Over 2.5 goals is certainly an option at around 1.76. I would be tempted into an Inter Miami lay from a value point of view, but I feel we’ll see goals here. These two should actually make for an entertaining game – I’m happy with the Overs, but stakes are kept small for the start of the tournament.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Over 2.5 goals at 1.76 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/AlaInt
