WAC – Al Ain

The Moroccan club will be closer to victory over their rival

It is hard to even imagine what event or series of events could happen in the meeting between Vidad and Al-Ain to make the duel between these rivals somehow memorable at the end of the tournament. Moroccan and Emirati clubs did everything to make their confrontation in the third round of the group stage the least significant and interesting in the whole programme of the game day. Of course, only rare fans and experts predicted the exit of these clubs in the play-offs. However, some doubts before the opening round were caused by the state of Juventus and Manchester City. It turned out to be enough for Vidad and Al Ain to be easily defeated by the results of the starting game days of the tournament. Both teams will start the head-to-head encounter without having picked up a single point so far. At the same time, Vidad have an advantage over Al-Ain in the Group G standings due to a poorer goal difference. Of course apart from purely image motivation, the Club World Cup bonus system provides "pluses" both for the final position in the group stage and for scoring points in local confrontations. If we take these factors into account, Vidad will be satisfied with a draw in the final round, while Emirati Al Ain need only a win to finish in third position. Bookmakers have identified the African representative as the favourite for the upcoming clash, offering odds of 2.38 on his victory. Vidad started his tournament journey with a meeting with the most difficult opponent. Against Manchester City, the Moroccan club looked good enough, but lost to Guardiola's team 0:2. Vidad's second game in the World Cup can be characterised in the same way. The Moroccans managed to come to their senses at 0:2 in favour of Juventus, scored a goal and created a couple more good chances. The fervour wore off in the second half - 1:4. Nothing good can be said about Al Ain's play in the opening matches. Very quickly Juventus and Manchester City solved all questions about the winner and further dealt with tactical issues. Considering the position on the national stage of the Emirati club, two defeats with a goal difference of 0:11 is the real state of affairs in Al Ain. Let's bet that Vidad will be closer to victory over the opponent.