Club World Cup Tips & Predictions for 16/06/25

The Club World Cup group stage is up and running and after an interesting start to the competition, we have some cracking fixtures to get our teeth stuck into on Monday as things start to heat up. Chelsea will kick off their campaign against MLS outfit LAFC, while (arguably) the pick of the games comes from Miami, where Argentine giants Boca Juniors lock horns with Benfica.

Chelsea's talisman, Cole Palmer, didn't quite reach the levels he displayed under Mauricio Pochettino in terms of his statistical output, but he still showed on numerous occasions just what he's capable of - most notably in Chelsea's most recent game against Betis in the Conference League final, where he recorded two exquisite assists.

Still, his creative stats aren't a million miles off what he produced in 2023-24. Palmer has recorded 11 assists in all competitions this season, not too far shy of the 15 he registered the season prior. However, crucially, Palmer's expected assists (xAG) actually exceeded last season's total, with the England man accumulating 14.5xGA, compared to 11.1xGA last season.

He is, then, operating at a very high level creatively, even if his teammates aren't doing him as many favours as they arguably should be. But with new signing Liam Delap likely to start up top, Palmer will fancy his chances of dipping into his creative bag.

Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis is coming off the back of an outstanding season. The 26-year-old bagged 26 goals in all competitions for Benfica this season, including an impressive 7 goals in the Champions League. Pavlidis was also the man who scored two goals for Greece at Wembley as they beat England 2-1 back in October, and his exploits this season have led to him being linked with a host of big clubs.

His impressive Champions League record and his brace at Wembley are evidence of his propensity to show up in big games, and with the money on offer here, he'll be firmly expected by the club's higher ups to rise to the occasion in what is a huge group game as far as their knockout chances are concerned.

Our next tip sees us backing LAFC's Sergi Palencia to pick up a card. The Spaniard has been LAFC's most carded player over the course of the past two seasons, picking up a total of 13 bookings in that time.

The MLS outfit are facing a very possession-oriented Chelsea side, a team that averaged 57.1% possession in the Premier League last season, the third most of any side. LAFC will, then, struggle to spend long periods of time on the ball, and their frustration is likely to make them vulnerable to picking up a card here and there.

Seattle Sounders or draw double chance:

MLS side Seattle Sounders lock horns with Brazilian outfit Botafogo, and we're backing the Americans to pick up a strong result. Botafogo are languishing down in 8th in Serie A and have only won three of their last 16 games on the road. By contrast, Seattle have been fairly formidable on their own patch, losing just one of their last 10 home games, with this clash set to take place in their home stadium. Based on that, we think they'll be able to avoid defeat here.

Chelsea to win to nil:

Chelsea finished last season in fine form, overcoming what looked like a very tough run-in on paper to secure Champions League football. More notably, the Blues have been strong at the back, keeping three clean sheets in their last five games, with only one defeat from their last nine outings too.

LAFC are in solid form themselves, although they have only one win from their last four. Ultimately, the gap in quality should be too large for the MLS side to pose a major threat to Chelsea here, with the Blues highly likely to take all three points.

Benfica to win and both teams to score:

Boca Juniors vs. Benfica is a fine tie on paper and should be a great advert for the competition. Benfica have a talent advantage, but Boca have enough talent (and prestige) of their own to make this one competitive. The Portuguese side have only one defeat in their last 13 games, and that came against Champions Sporting CP, in a run that also saw Benfica beat FC Porto 4-1.

Boca, however, come into this one amidst a slight dip in form, with the Argentines drawing two and losing two of their last four games. Such a run is very poorly timed when we consider the gravity of this fixture, and it could come back to bite them against a talent rich Benfica team.

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• Botafogo vs. Seattle Sounders - Live on Channel 5 & DAZN, Kick-off: 03:00

• Chelsea vs. LAFC – Live on Channel 5 & DAZN, Kick-off: 20:00

• Boca Juniors vs. Benfica – Live on Channel 5 & DAZN, Kick-off: 23:00

The Footy Accumulators team update the website daily with free tips across all the most popular betting markets for the 2025 Club World Cup. Take a look at the rest of our expert tips below:

• Accumulator Tips
• Bet of the Day
• Both Teams to Score Tips
• Treble Tips
• RequestABets
• BuildABet Tips
• Smart Acca Tips
• Other Tips