The group stages of the FIFA Club World Cup have drawn to a close and the stage is set for a highly-anticipated sprint towards global soccer supremacy.
The tournament has so far provided a compelling mix of both heavyweight superiority and underdog resilience.
The remaining sides are a few matches away from etching their name into Club World Cup history and lifting the prestigious trophy.
Here, Sport Preview’s Ethan Pitts tips up some selections for this weekend’s fixtures, as the knockout stages come to our screens.
Chelsea vs Benfica: Chelsea to win + Both teams to score – 16/5 (bet365)
Saturday night sees The Bank of America Stadium play host to a clash between two European powerhouses aiming to advance into the next round.
Finishing second behind Flamengo, Chelsea have enjoyed a relatively successful campaign so far and have deservingly booked their place in the Round of 16.
Despite a poor showing against the Brazilian giants in matchday two, Enzo Maresca’s side appeared back to their fluent best as a dominant showing against Tunisian side Esperance Tunis prepared them nicely for their upcoming clash.
Benfica come into this match-up with both repute and form – recently beating Bayern Munich in matchday three to secure top spot in Group C.
Andreas Schjeldurup’s 13th-minute strike on Tuesday meant that the goalscoring exploits of ‘As Águias’ continued – now scoring in 19 of their last 20 games in all competitions.
The Blues come into this match as the favourites, which is hard to argue against considering both the history and juxtaposing riches between both sides.
Chelsea have faced Benfica three times in the club’s history and have come out on top in all of these encounters.
For these reasons, Chelsea’s superstar pedigree matched by the Portuguese giants’ scoring prowess, Chelsea to win with both teams scoring appears to be a great punt and is this matches selection at 16/5 with Bet365.
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Botafogo vs Palmeiras: Match result to end in a draw – 21/10 (Betfred)
Brazilian football has made an astronomical impact at the 2025 Club World Cup – with all four native sides qualifying for the Round of 16.
No longer seen as just participants, these Brazilian sides have been the headline-makers throughout this tournament.
However, one has to depart in Saturday afternoon’s tense match-up.
Botafogo have combined a rigid defensive philosophy with moments of magic to secure their place in the next round, outlasting Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Palmeiras still remain unbeaten in this tournament, and despite obtaining less points than their native counterpart, they topped their group with five points.
These two sides have a plethora of history, which only makes their upcoming match even more absorbing.
Both sides showcased their defensive credentials in the group stage – only conceding a combined four goals between them.
However, both struggled to find the net consistently and only scored a combined seven goals in both of their three group stage games, which makes for a potentially tight contest.
Recent history would most certainly anchor the assertion that there is very little to separate the two sides, as in the clubs’ last three games between each other, a draw has occurred in two of them.
With that in mind, I will be backing the match result after 90 minutes to end in a draw – priced at 21/10 with Betfred.
Flamengo vs Bayern Munich: Michael Olise to score or assist – 6/4 (PaddyPower)
In less than a year, Olise has transitioned from a proficient newcomer to one of soccer’s most dynamic wingers.
With a Bundesliga title under his belt, Olise now turns his intention to the Club World Cup as a central figure to Vincent Kompany’s attacking blueprint.
Under Kompany, Olise has established himself as one of the games most efficient attackers – averaging just over one goal contribution a game per 90 minutes.
The French international ended the regular season in blistering form, and has since continued this throughout the tournament so far – five goals and assists in three games.
Flamengo are far from a pushover, and Bayern will need their star players to show out if they want to continue on their roadmap to global soccer stardom.
For those looking for a higher priced bet, Olise to assist anytime is priced at 10/3 (bet365) – incredible value for a player who has accumulated the third most assists on the planet this past season.
However, due to his recent goalscoring exploits at this tournament as well as his consistent ability to create chances, I will be lumping on Michael Olise to score or assist come Sunday night at 6/4 when you use PaddyPower.
