With the CWC getting to the crucial stages we take a look at the dark horses
With the Club World Cup kicking off with a bang, we look at some of the teams that could possibly cause an upset and go on to be dark horses in this tournament. Our picks for this tournament’s dark horses include the likes of Botafogo, Chelsea, and Al-Hilal. These teams could possibly defy the odds and have a memorable tournament with a good run in the Club World Cup.
The blues could potentially go all the way
After a few rough seasons, the pieces of the jigsaw finally seem to be coming together for the Blues. Boosted by the addition of Maresca, Chelsea have formed a new identity under the Italian manager. These new tactics have seen the 2021 European champions create overloads in the middle of the park as well as establish a numerical advantage when counter-attacking. This has helped them find their way back into the Champions League. The Club World Cup presents a unique challenge for the Blues to evaluate how far they have come, and a good run in this tournament could boost their momentum ahead of a rigorous upcoming campaign.
Botafogo hoping to have a good run in this competition
Botafogo came into this tournament with plenty of confidence, and thanks to that, they reached the knockout stage. They will take a lot of confidence from their 1-0 victory over the European Champions PSG, in which they put in a solid defensive display. Botafogo’s defense and their ability to close up spaces will be crucial for them to have a good run in this competition. Not to mention their star attacker, Igor Jesus, who is dangerous in front of goal. They may not be tipped to go all the way, but no top side would want to face Botafogo.
With a top manager like Inzaghi the sky is the limit
Al-Hilal managed to secure an unlikely draw against Los Blancos, which will be a huge plus for the Saudi Giants. Boosted by the incoming manager Inzaghi, who guided Inter to two Champions League finals in two years, there is hope amongst the Al-Hilal squad that they can have a good run in this competition. Given Inzaghi’s preferred traditional Italian 3-5-2 formation, we could potentially see Al-Hilal sit back and defend more. Not to mention, they are lethal going forward, which could see them outscore their opponents.
