AL Ahly SC (Egy) vs Al-Ittihad Jeddah Prediction & Betting Tips - FIFA Club World Cup

Prediction published on 13/12/2023, 13:34  by Joseph King | Modified on 15/12/2023 at 05:00 in Football Predictions

Round two of the FIFA Club World Cup sees Egyptian side Al-Ahly taking on the hosting Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. The winner of this tie advances to the semi-final to take on Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense. Al-Ahly are the African champions after overcoming Wydad AC 2-1 on aggregate to win a record 11th title. It also marked an incredible seventh CAF Champions League trophy for the Red Devils in the last seven years. Al-Ahly are right in the midst of their domestic season where they’ve gotten off to a 4-2-0 start. They’re also yet to be beaten in the 2023/24 CAF Champions League group stage with a win and two draws after three games. The reigning Egyptian Premier League champions enter this fixture off the back of three consecutive draws, the latest of which finished 0-0 against Belouizdad.

Along with Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad have also played a major part in the recent revolution the league is experiencing with the influx of top European talent. The capture of Karim Benzema surely influenced other now-members of the team to join, including N'golo Kante, Fabinho, Luiz Felipe and Jota. Despite not being crowned champions of their continent, Al-Ittihad qualify as hosts. It’s been a mixed start to the season for the defending league champions as they sit fifth in the Pro League standings with an 8-4-4 record. However, they’ve started to pick up steam in recent weeks. A 3-0 win over Auckland in the Club World Cup first round marked their fourth win in the last five fixtures. The win in the previous round also saw the return of Karim Benzema who delivered a man of the match performance after missing the last two games.