After hosting and winning the world’s first intercontinental club championship in 1951 (the ‘Copa Rio’), Brazil’s Palmeiras have unsuccessfully lobbied FIFA for decades to be officially recognised as the first ever Club World Cup champions.
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As 2021 Copa Libertadores title holders, they get another opportunity to win their first FIFA Club World Cup after an unsuccessful tilt in its last edition.
They failed to score in both matches in 2020, knocked out in the semi-finals by Mexico’s Tigres before upcoming opponents Al Ahly of Egypt won the third-place playoff via penalties following a scoreless draw.
Considering all but one of their seven Copa Libertadores knockout games this year produced two or fewer total goals, at an average of 1.57 goals per game, another low scoring affair would not be a shock.
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The African champions fought their way to this semi-final stage courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Mexico’s Monterrey, booking their third Club World Cup semi-final appearance in a decade.
The 10-time CAF Champions League winners are severely depleted however, with no fewer than six squad members on African Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with the Egyptian national team.
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Those absences have been particularly glaring across the last month, with the quarter-final win over Monterrey their first victory in any competition since December (D5, L1).
Al Ahly are also now on a run of eight consecutive competitive appearances with no more than one goal, and with one or no goals to their name in their last eight Club World Cup fixtures (W2, D1, L5 after 90 minute FT), they appear just as unlikely as Palmeiras to pile on the goals.
Kick-off is at 18:30 SA time.
AL AHLY V PALMEIRAS
Players to watch
Palmeiras legend Dudu represented Qatar’s Al Duhail at the previous Club World Cup and stands as their only player to score twice in the 2022 calendar year. Meanwhile, Hussein El Shahat was Al Ahly’s only goalscorer in that Club World Cup .
Hot stat
Just two of the last 12 Club World Cup semi-finals have required extra time.
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