Group: Porto, Palmeiras, Inter Miami, Al Ahly Cairo.
In my opinion, Porto and Palmeiras are the two strongest teams in the group, which should make it to the next stage. Inter Miami is often seen as the main candidate to shake up the waters and make it to the quarterfinals, but I am not as optimistic about them. They will play a couple of matches in their city, have players like Messi in attack, and will cause problems for their opponents with their offense, but their defense has many issues. If they struggle in their own MLS, it will be even harder for them against such strong opponents, which I believe will be their biggest obstacle to making it to the quarterfinals. The significant gap between the teams rarely works in favor of the underdogs. At the same time, memories from their tour in Peru and Asia come to mind, where Saudi Arabian clubs easily broke through their defense.
Al Ahly is a solid club, one of the best in Africa in recent years, well-balanced, and with a similar playing style as Porto and Palmeiras. However, the latter two have a significantly better squad, which should tip the scales in their favor. Perhaps Africa will put up a good fight in one game or even steal a couple of points, but it is unlikely that they will be able to make it to the next stage.
- Voted: 0
Comments (0)