Al Ahly vs Inter Miami predictions: Expect an entertaining start to the tournament
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- There have been over 3.5 goals in eight of Inter Miami's last nine matches
- Al Ahly scored 22 goals in their eight Egyptian Premier League playoff games
- Recommended bet: Over 3.5 goals
A new era in international football begins with the start of the new-look 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in Florida on Saturday night.
Lionel Messi will be the star of the show as he leads his Inter Miami team into battle against Egyptian champions Al Ahly.
The African side have reached the semi-finals at the last four Club World Cups and qualified for this one by winning the 2020-21 CAF Champions League.
Inter qualified as tournament hosts after topping the MLS regular-season standings last season.
With Palmeiras of Brazil and Portuguese side Porto completing the Group A line-up, both teams will be targeting three points in the opener to maximise their chances of advancing to the last-16.
Team news
Al Ahly have no major injury issues heading into their opening match. Former Aston Villa forward Trezeguet has returned to the club where he began his career after recent spells in Turkey and Qatar, while Zizo is also in the squad after signing recently from Al Ahly's Cairo rivals Zamalek.
Inter head coach Javier Mascherano is not short of former Barcelona stars in his squad but he could be missing one of them with left-back Jordi Alba an injury concern and Noah Allen in line to replace him.
Gonzalo Lujan faces a late fitness test while Drake Callender, Yannick Bright and David Ruiz are unlikely to feature in the first match.
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The stats
Inter Miami have lost only two of their nine MLS games at the Hard Rock Stadium this season.
Miami lost just four of 34 regular-season MLS matches last year.
Both teams have scored in eight of Inter's last nine games.
There have been over 4.5 goals in six of Miami's last seven matches.
There were over 2.5 goals in six of Al Ahly's eight Egyptian playoff fixtures.
Al Ahly have reached the semi-finals of the last four Club World Cup tournaments.
Prediction
Opening matches at major tournaments can often be something of a let-down but the ingredients are there for a sizzling start to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Goals are rarely far away when Lionel Messi steps onto a football pitch and his free-scoring Inter Miami side are accustomed to featuring in some high-scoring contests.
Inter's last three outings have all generated six goals, with a 3-3 draw against Philadelphia, a 4-2 win over Montreal and a 5-1 thrashing of the Columbus Crew.
The Floridian side have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 10 matches, though, and it's often a case that their veteran strikers have to overcome their deficiencies at the back.
Egyptian side Al Ahly are no back-markers, having finished third in three of the last four renewals of this tournament and while that came in the smaller format, last year's 2-0 semi-final defeat to Brazilian side Fluminense was no disgrace.
The African side averaged nearly three goals per outing in their recent domestic league playoff success and 5-0, 6-0 and 4-2 wins in that competition suggest they are capable of contributing to a high goal tally in Miami.
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