Al Ittihad vs Auckland City Tips & Preview - Hosts to kick off Club World Cup with victory

Gary Emmerson

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Last updated: 11 Dec 2023

Gary Emmerson 11 Dec 2023

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Al Ittihad vs Auckland City tips for the FIFA Club World Cup match
Al Ittihad enter as the host nation representatives
Will they win against OFC champions Auckland? (18:00 GMT Tuesday)

Expired

Karim Benzema (Getty Images)

Al Ittihad vs Auckland City Preview

Al Ittihad earned their spot in the competition as Saudi Pro League champions with Saudi Arabia hosting the tournament. They should be much too good for Oceania Champions League winners Auckland City.

Al Ittihad vs Auckland City Preview
Head to Head
Al Ittihad Form
Auckland City Form

I'm backing Al Ittihad to win this, but they do have defensive weaknesses and Auckland can find the back of the net. Karim Benzema should get goals for the hosts if returning from absence.

Al Ittihad have won 3 of their last 4 matches
Al Ittihad have seen BTTS in their last 6 matches
Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema has scored 4 goals in his last 4 matches
Auckland City have lost their last 3 matches

Head to Head

This is the first meeting between the sides.

Al Ittihad Form

Al Ittihad suffered a rare defeat last time out when going down 3-1 to Damac in the Saudi Pro League.

The defeat leaves the reigning SPL champions in fifth place, 16 points adrift of Al Hilal at the top.

Prior to the loss, Al Ittihad had won three in a row with victories over OKMK 2-1 and Sepahan 2-1 in the AFC Champions League and Al Khaleej 4-2 in the Saudi Pro League.

Auckland City Form

Auckland City qualified after winning the Oceania Champions League last season.

The New Zealand National champions beat Suva 4-2 in extra-time in the OFC Champions League in May following a 2-2 draw.

In this year's National League season, Auckland started with seven straight wins but have lost their last three games in a poor run in November.

Verdict

Al Ittihad Jeddah v Auckland City

Al Ittihad are red-hot favourites and I'm backing them to put on a show and win comfortably. They do have defensively frailties, however, so BTTS is the best bet. Karim Benzema can score for the hosts if he returns from injury.

BTTS Yes

Both Teams To Score

@5/4 - 1 Unit

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

Bet at bet365

Al Ittihad & BTTS Yes

Result & Both Teams To Score

@7/4 - 1 Unit

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Bet at bet365

Karim Benzema

Anytime Goalscorer

@9/20 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS