Another defeat for the Navy Blues?
Auckland City FC may be the poster child for Oceania and a regular at the Club World Cup, with a record twelve appearances to its name. However, the Navy Blues have yet to really cover themselves in glory here. This year, however, the competition is particularly fierce with an expanded field of participants. The New Zealanders have lost their first two games 0-16, which is why the odds are not in Auckland’s favor against Boca Juniors.
However, the Argentinians’ chances of reaching the knockout stages have also dwindled. Boca need help from Bayern, who must beat Benfica Lisbon. If the Encarnados pick up a point, the Azul y Oro would be eliminated even if Auckland beat Boca Juniors by a landslide.
If Bayern also win their third group game against Benfica Lisbon, Boca Juniors need a win by a margin of seven goals to guarantee their place in the knockout stages, regardless of the margin of Bayern’s victory. The Azul y Oro will therefore have to play with corresponding courage. However, Auckland City defended strongly against Benfica, at least in the first half. It was only in the eighth minute of stoppage time that they fell behind 0-1 from a penalty kick.
Auckland – Statistics & current form
Auckland City FC may be a record participant in the FIFA Club World Cup, thanks to the New Zealanders’ twelve OFC Champions League titles, but the Navy Blues are not actually a professional club. Most of the players had to take time off from their day jobs to participate in the expanded Club World Cup. This is very noticeable. After two games, ACFC is bottom of Group C with two defeats and a goal difference of 0-16.
It is now clear that one of the most exotic teams in the field will not be able to repeat its 2014 performance, when Auckland surprisingly finished third in the Club World Cup in Morocco. It was the club’s greatest success in the Club World Cup to date. Since then, however, the New Zealanders have not won a single one of their seven competitive games in this tournament. A total of 17 of the 22 competitive games in this competition have been lost (three wins, two draws).
Will Auckland at least manage a narrow result against Boca Juniors?
The strategy of interim coach Paul Rosa’s amateur team is to park the bus in their own penalty area and hope for the best. That went badly wrong against the playful Bayern. Against Benfica Lisbon, on the other hand, they almost managed a 0-0 draw at halftime, but Ángel Di María scored a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time to make it 1-0, after which the team, which physically cannot match the level of professional clubs due to its amateur status, collapsed in the second half.
Against this backdrop, however, a prediction of a not overly goal-rich first half for Auckland against Boca Juniors is entirely reasonable, especially as there is nothing else for the Navy Blues to play for. Trailing by four points in second place, there can be no football miracle that would see the New Zealanders jump to second place in Group C in any adventurous constellation.
Predicted Auckland line-up:
Garrow – Lagos, Boxall, Heijer, Mitchell, Bell – Zeb, Ilich, Zhou, Yoo – Bevan
Boca Juniors – Statistics & current form
Club Atlético Boca Juniors has not only won the Copa Libertadores six times (most recently in 2007), but also secured the Intercontinental Cup three times in 1977, 2000, and 2003. However, since the Club World Cup was introduced, the Azul y Oro (the Blue and Gold) have only qualified for the intercontinental competition once, in 2007. On that occasion, they lost 4-2 to AC Milan in the final.
The proud club has set its sights high for this year’s edition, but Boca is not mentioned in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 favorites predictions. However, this has not dampened the frenetic support of the numerous Argentine fans who have accompanied their club to the United States, even though they have not yet managed to secure a victory.
Boca Juniors has been waiting for a win for over two months
The Azul y Oro came close to picking up three points on two occasions. However, they squandered a two-goal lead against Benfica Lisbon (final score: 2-2), before a 1-1 equalizer against Bayern was not enough to secure victory (final score: 1-2). With only one point out of a possible six, their chances of reaching the knockout stages are correspondingly slim, although victory in their final group game should in principle be a formality.
At Merkur Bets, the odds for Auckland against Boca Juniors are just 1.01 for a win for the Azul y Oro. New customers can claim a classic 100% bonus up to $100 with the Merkur Bets welcome bonus. The expected three points could also mark a turnaround for Boca, who have not won a competitive game since April and are now waiting for another victory in six games across all competitions (three draws, three defeats).
Predicted line-up for Boca Juniors:
Marchesin – Blanco, Coasta, Lollo, Advíncula – Battaglia, Belmonte – Velasco, Palacios, Zenón – Merentiel
Auckland – Boca Juniors Head-to-head record / H2H record
There has never been an intercontinental competitive match between these two teams before. Consequently, there is no head-to-head data available that could influence our prediction for Auckland vs. Boca Juniors in any way.
Auckland – Boca Juniors Tip
The betting odds from the top bookmakers are clear and unambiguous in favor of Auckland against Boca Juniors, who lost their first two group games by a combined score of 0-16. It is becoming apparent that the Navy Blues do not have professional status. The record participants have always collapsed after the break, which is why, given the high temperatures in the United States, there is little to suggest that the underdogs will be able to bow out with their heads held high. Instead, ACFC are likely to be crushed in their third game as well.
The Azul y Oro also need a big win to keep their slim chances of reaching the knockout stages alive, for which they will need help from Bayern Munich, who must beat Benfica Lisbon. However, it could well be a game of patience for the Argentinians against the New Zealand defensive bulwark. It is therefore very interesting to bet on a maximum of two goals being scored in the first half.