FIFA Club World Cup: Group C Preview

In Group C of the FIFA Club World Cup, FC Bayern München (Germany), Club Atlético Boca Juniors (Argentina), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portugal), and Auckland City (New Zealand) face off in group stage play with only two advancing to the round of 16 knockout stage.

Which two teams will advance out of the group stage?

FC Bayern

They are the most successful club in German football with 34 league titles, but their excellence extends globally with six UEFA Champions League titles and two FIFA Club World Cup titles.

FC Bayern is seeking a third CWC title after achieving the feat in 2013 (2-0 over Raja Casablanca – Botola of Morocco) and in 2020 (1-0 over UANL Tigres – Liga MX of Mexico).

League: Bundesliga

How they qualified: UEFA ranking pathway

Top Player: Harry Kane

When you look at their roster, they have so many talented players and it’s hard to choose just one. However, all eyes will be on Harry Kane when Bayern debuts against Auckland City on June 15.

The English goalscorer is a very complete striker. Kane finished first in many departments last season, such as: goalscoring (26 tallies), goals+assists (35), PKs converted among all the strikers in the top European leagues (9), and on SOTs (45).

Kane is the first player in Bundesliga history to finish each of his first two seasons in the competition as top scorer, scoring 26 goals in his latest campaign, at least five more than anyone else. And if we add his eight assists to his 34 goal involvements this season, then he’s seven clear of every other player in the German top flight.

Upside: The Bundesliga champions are the most dominant club in Germany. They have a strong squad, experience in big tournaments and they’re always a contender. FC Bayern possesses a strong attack and they have arguably one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the game with Jamal Musiala.

Deficiencies: The Bundesliga serial winners haven’t been able to win anything at the international level, with the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League being the last time they have done it. Additionally, their defensive shape is a concern.

CA Boca Juniors

With 52 domestic titles and 18 international titles, Boca Juniors are one of the most successful clubs in the world.

Their best ever finish was in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup where they finished runner-ups to AC Milan.

League: Liga Profesional de Fútbol (Argentine Primera División)

How they qualified: CONMEBOL ranking pathway

Top Players: Edison Cavani and Miguel Merentiel

Although he might be at the dawn of his career, the Uruguayan will seek to make a difference on the field. Nowadays, he’s been assisting his teammates rather than taking the shots himself, creating looks with his accurate passes.

Nevertheless, if you want to know who has been scoring the goals for the Argentine club, that would be Miguel Merentiel. The Uruguayan has been great in the attacking and possession departments.

FBCharts

His chart shows how high he ranks in expected assisted goals and assists and in the non-penalty xG + expected assisted goals, which means that if Boca Juniors wants to score, he should be the primary focus.

The fact that he ranks high in the progressive passes and progressive carries as well as in successful take-ons means that he’s not waiting in the box comfortably to get the ball but he tends to go deeper to get it himself to create shot opportunities or for his teammates

Upside: They finished among the top teams in the table in the latest tournament of their domestic league.

Deficiencies: Although Boca has regained its form after some poor performances, they do not appear to have the collective quality needed to put up a fight in this group.

SL Benfica

The Portuguese giants are the most successful team in their country’s history with 38 league titles. They have won at least one in each of the past eight decades.

They have two European Cup titles (UEFA Champions League) in 1961 and 1962 and hope to add another one here.

League: Primeira Liga

How they qualified: UEFA ranking pathway

Players to watch: Despite his age, captain Nicolás Otamendi is the most influential player on this team. The center back not only fulfills his defensive duties but he’s also a very complete player all over the pitch.

FBCharts

As you can see in the chart, the defender is not a stranger to scoring, having scored a header following a corner in the game against Barcelona. With that goal, at 37 years old and 27 days, the captain became the third oldest goalscorer in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, according to Opta.

Upside: The Portuguese club has quality, tradition, and experience from European competitions. Although they were eliminated in Champions League’s Round of 16, they put on a fight against Barcelona.

Deficiencies: Haven’t done well at the international stage. That’s the biggest chip on their shoulder. They’re second in their domestic league and were eliminated from the latest edition of the Champions League in Round of 16. Added to that, star and striker Ángel Di María has left the club to return to play in his home country.

Auckland City

The New Zealand club is the only amateur side in the competition and the only representative from the Oceania Football Confederation.

They have three straight OFC Champions League titles and have won 10 of the past 12 editions.

In 2014, Auckland City, with their third-place finish, became the only team from Oceania to ever reach the semifinals of the Club World Cup.

Can they find magic again over a decade later?

League: Dettol Northern League

How they qualified: OFC rankings pathway

Players to watch: Although a little unknown, this roster has players you might want to keep an eye on, such as Kiwis forwards Myer Bevan and Angus Kikolly.

Upside: The Kiwis have nothing to lose in this competition. This is a great opportunity for them to seize and prove themselves once again on an international stage, having won the domestic league consistently since 2021 and their dominance in the OFC Champions League.

Deficiencies: They’re not strangers to this competition after qualifying 12 times. However, they have never been able to win it. This time it won’t be easy at all, given the group they landed and the form they’re in.

Prediction:

Group Winner: FC Bayern

Second Place Finisher: SL Benfica

Led by manager Vincent Kompany, this FC Bayern’s group to lose as they possess the most talented roster and have the most firepower on both sides of the ball.

Both SL Benfica and Boca Juniors will likely face off to determine who will finish second in the group. Bruno Lage and Benfica are sure to be favorited in that matchup with their recent round of 16 finish in the UEFA Champions League.