Analysis of qualifying for Club World Cup: Bayern can choose Chelsea, South America s semi-finals may meet in advance

The third round of the Club World Cup group stage was in full swing, and Paris Saint-Germain successfully advanced as the first in the group with an easy victory. Although Atletico Madrid narrowly defeated his opponent by only one goal, he was still out of the game with a cumulative 6 points in two games and failed to enter the semi-finals. This result is very regrettable. At the last critical moment, Miami International was chased by Palmeiras twice in a row, missing the precious opportunity to be the first in the group, and had to face Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, which means Messi will usher in a rematch with his old club, full of drama.

So far, 8 teams have locked in the top 16 seats. In addition to host Miami International, the other seven teams that advanced were either from Europe or from South America. It is worth mentioning that the two matches in the round of 16 have been confirmed, one of which is a contest between South American champions, with Botafogo against Palmeiras, while the other game is more eye-catching. Host Miami International will face Paris Saint-Germain, which also makes people look forward to the fierce collision between Messi and the former team.

At the same time, the last four games of Group C and Group D will be held on the same day, and the time for the victory or defeat will be approaching.

In the competition in Group C, Bayern Munich has 6 points and firmly ranked first in the group, while Benfica has 4 points, Boca youth only scored 1 point, and Auckland City is at the bottom of 0 points. In this group, Bayern locked in the qualifying spot early, and Auckland City, as the only representative of Oceania, has missed the opportunity to advance. The next focus will be on the competition between Benfica and Boca youth, and the two sides will play against Bayern and Auckland City in the last round respectively.

Obviously, Auckland City is the weakest among the 32 participating teams. In the first two rounds, their defense was broken by their opponents 16 times and their performance was poor. Boca youth still holds a glimmer of hope for advancement, and they deserve to win a big victory in the face of Auckland City. If Boca can win, whether they advance depends on Bayern's attitude in the last round. After all, Bayern can lock in the top spot in the group as long as he remains unbeaten. If Benfica wants to advance, he needs to score at least 1 point, otherwise he will face a goal difference with the Boca youth. The situation in Group D is slightly more complicated. Flamenco ranked first in the group with 6 points, Chelsea and Tunisia Hope each scored 3 points, and Los Angeles FC was eliminated early, without any suspense. Flamenco advanced early and locked in the top spot in the group with the results compared with the same score. Next, they will face the second team in Group C. The match between Chelsea and Tunisia hopes has become a life-and-death battle.

Chelsea and Tunisia hope to score 3 points together, and Chelsea have a slight advantage in relying on the goal difference. Therefore, as long as they hope to draw with Tunisia in the last round, they can advance smoothly. For Tunisia hope, the only chance to qualify is to have to beat Chelsea. Tunisia Hope captain Meria said in an interview with FIFA that both the team and the fans are going through a dream come true, and they are confident that they can beat Chelsea and advance to the next round.

In terms of strength, Chelsea has a slightly higher chance of winning, but they also face two major problems. First, despite Chelsea's prior commitment to sending the strongest lineup to participate, head coach Maresca still insisted on rotating players, and this move was not punished. FIFA has no clear regulations on this, after all, it is difficult to define what the "strongest lineup" is. Secondly, the high temperatures at the competition location have become another major challenge for Chelsea. According to reporters' tracking, Chelsea's temperature during training was as high as 42 degrees, and the temperature was expected to reach 39 degrees on the day of the game. In such extreme weather conditions, players like Reese James may be absent due to minor injuries, and the team even arranged a day to relieve fatigue caused by training. FIFA has also specially invited more experts to provide support to each team.

The promotion teams of these two groups will compete fiercely in the top 16. After Flamengo locks first in the group, if he does not meet Benfica, he will have a second South American derby with Boca youth. If Chelsea can qualify successfully, the next opponent is likely to be the powerful Bayern Munich. At that time, a strong dialogue will be presented at the top 16, and the tense atmosphere and highlights of the game will become more confusing.