It was a fun newsletter sent to subscribers today including betting suggestions @  odds as high as 5.50 and 21.0 . You can read some of the background notes, without the final analysis , for the Club World Cup games below, which might be of some interest as they cover things you will not read elsewhere and/or maybe did not consider. However, please do not make any assumptions based on them about where the final analysis was heading, just treat them on their own merit.

 

 

Juventus- Wydad AC ...... Philadelphia 17:00 UK (12:00 local)

Real Madrid- Pachuca ......Charlotte 20:00 (15:00 local)

RB Salzburg- Al Hilal ..... Washington 23:00 (18:00 local)

Man City- Al Ain ..........Atlanta 02:00 (21:00 local)

 

I would have loved to have been a professional footballer and the only thing holding me back was a lack of ability! However, I am not sure that I envy any of the players today, as the conditions at all four venues are going to be absolutely brutal! Very hot and humid with severe weather warnings everywhere and a "real" feel of 40 degrees + in the Real Madrid and Salzburg games and not much better elsewhere.

 

You might expect the teams from Morocco, Saudi, Abu Dhabi and Mexico to have an advantage in that regard, but for them it is a quick turnaround against top quality opposition and that is something they will not be as used to as their opponent and the higher up the footballing ladder you go, fitness levels, like quality, do usually, increase. 

 

The late game is interesting as City are owned by the Abu Dhabi group, with members of the ruling family on the board and they are playing the top club from the Emirate, who are owned by the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Conspiracy theorists could have a field day with this, but perhaps City are in enough trouble already! Anyway, Al Ain are probably already out having lost 5-0 to Juventus, but that was also enough humiliation for one tournament!

 

In the opener, Wydad do have some other advantages as they have already played in Philadelphia and in the midday game like today. Juventus had a very easy win over Al Ain to start their tournament, but played in Washington in the late game, so a nine hour difference between the start times, which, with such a quick turnaround, is, I feel, significant. If you play @ 21:00, that probably means getting to bed at 2-3 am earliest and then playing three days later when you have barely digested breakfast, which will not be "breakfast" in any case, it is not usual and Juve will have travelled too. They are based in Greenbrier, West Virginia (why?) that is four hours from Washington, six from Philly and a two hour flight from Orlando where they play on Matchday 3! It makes no sense at all and I would not even ask the Juve staff to organise, let's call it a party in a brewery!

 

 

Good luck!