Club World Cup betting tips: Palmeiras value vs Chelsea, goals expected in Bayern vs PSG clash
Despite doing our best to remain positive about the Club World Cup, we just can't pretend any longer.
The 2025 Club World Cup feels like FIFA took lockdown football, stuck it on a plane, and told it to fly until it ran out of money.
Sports News Blitz’s George Dempsey is back to tackle the first half of the Club World Cup quarter-finals.
Jurgen Klopp called it “the worst idea ever.” Enzo Maresca said a five-hour weather delay was “a joke.”
Fans at the Hard Rock Stadium, at least the ones who didn't melt to death, need new shoes after walking 20 miles to the Uber pick-up point.
We’ve done our best to support this Gianni Infantino fever dream. But even we’re struggling now.
Still, even if the football is sh*t, our bets are as hot as the Florida sun.
PSG smashed Inter Miami 4-0 to land our fourth winner out of six. That’s +3.3 units of profit and enough encouragement to keep up this charade for one more preview.
Palmeiras vs Chelsea
Chelsea squeezed past Benfica after a four-hour epic in Charlotte that included a two-hour weather delay.
The final score was 4-1, but it took extra time and a red card to separate them.
Palmeiras, by contrast, have looked organised and fully up for this.
They’ve conceded just two goals in four matches and held Porto to a goalless draw on matchday one. There’s a clear edge in intensity and defensive structure.
Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten by Flamengo in the group stage and looked short on ideas for long spells against Benfica.
With a quick turnaround and another unfamiliar setting in Philadelphia, it’s a tough spot.
Palmeiras will also have the crowd. South American clubs bring noise, and this competition feels like it means more to them so far.
They’ll be aggressive and compact, forcing Chelsea to play through traffic.
Five of the eight combined matches these teams have played at this tournament have gone under 2.5 goals, so this looks like another tight one.
It’s also worth noting that only Luis Suarez has carved them open so far, with three of their four outings resulting in a clean sheet.
We successfully backed Flamengo at 5/2, and while it’s worth acknowledging Premier League teams have the class to go through the gears at this stage of the tournament, I think that would be to overlook the physical toll these contests are having at the end of a 60+ game season.
Suggested bet: Palmeiras: Draw no bet at 7/4
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Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich
PSG and Bayern Munich will do battle on a baking-hot day in Atlanta on Saturday, where a midday kick-off will allow the players to bask in the warmth of the sun at its highest point.
Not only that, the poor Parisians are playing their 63rd game of a season that started in August 2024 and has yet to end in July 2025.
This phrase is overused, but it’s fair to say the game has gone.
PSG cruised past Inter Miami in the last 16, dominating the tempo and punishing mistakes in a 4–0 win.
That followed another clean sheet against Seattle and a 4–0 thumping of Atletico Madrid earlier in the tournament.
Bayern have been more chaotic.
They opened with a 10–0 demolition of Auckland City, edged past Boca Juniors with a late winner, then lost 1–0 to Benfica after rotating heavily.
In the last 16, they beat Flamengo 4–2 in one of the tournament’s most open games so far.
While PSG can kill you in transition, and have shown they don’t need much time to create separation, Bayern are sure to score, considering they boast one of the most reliable finishers in the game in Harry Kane.
It remains to be seen if these teams can bring the type of intensity you typically get in a match of this calibre. We think not, which could mean more space and chances.
Suggested bet: Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score at 4/5
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