logo
Supercomputer predicts Club World Cup winner - with Chelsea's chances rated HIGHER than Real Madrid... but what about Man City?

Supercomputer predicts Club World Cup winner - with Chelsea's chances rated HIGHER than Real Madrid... but what about Man City?

Daily Mail​5 hours ago

PSG have been tipped to add to their Champions League glory by winning the newly revamped Club World Cup, according to Opta's supercomputer.
The group stages of the controversial competition wrapped up on Thursday night, as Real Madrid swept aside Red Bull Salzburg, and now the round of 16 fixtures are locked in.
The Premier League 's two representatives, Manchester City and Chelsea, have both made it through to the knockout stages, with Pep Guardiola 's side standing out in particular with a 100 per cent record.
They will be joined by Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, and Juventus, as European giants predominantly dominate the competition.
Brazil's top flight also have a strong presence as Botafogo, Palmeiras, Fluminese, and Flamengo have also breezed into the last 16, while Al-Hilal, Monterrey, and Inter Miami have progressed.
However, despite the strength of teams left in the Club World Cup, it is Luis Enrique's serial winners who have been given 20.6 per cent chance of bringing the inaugural trophy back to Paris.
The European champions will first have to get past Inter Miami, led by their former star Lionel Messi, in the round of 16, with the two sides doing battle at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday.
If they get past Messi's men, then PSG will be put up against Bayern Munich or Flamengo on what is the more stacked side of the knockout stage bracket.
The French champions are only marginally the favoruites, with Manchester City given a 20.4 per cent chance of taking home the crown after what an impressive group stage campaign.
Pep Guardiola's men were back to their brilliant best against Juventus, putting in a sizzling display that has not been seen by the boys in blue for quite some time, beating the Italian giants 5-2 in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.
It was a display that has seen them become one of the front-runners to win the competition as they seek their first trophy of what had been a dismal 2024-25 campaign by their standards.
Champions League finalists Inter Milan - who were embarrassed by PSG in Munich last month - are the third favourites to lift the Club World Cup with a 12.4 per cent chance of doing so.
They are followed by Bayern Munich who have an 11.3 per cent likelihood of glory, while Chelsea sit behind them at 10.4 per cent.
The five-time record winners of the old Club World Cup format, Real Madrid, have a 9.7 per cent chance of claiming their first trophy under Xabi Alonso, after failing to strike gold in the regular season.
Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, and Juventus then follow as European sides occupy the top nine spots on the list, while Palmeiras are the best of the rest, although they have only been given a 0.9 per cent chance of winning the competition.
Flamengo, Al-Hilal, Botafogo, Inter Miami, Monterrey, and Fluminese have all been given 0.5 per cent, or less, of winning the tournament.
The last 16 ties take place between the 28 June and 2 July, while the final is set for Sunday 13 July.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Roy Keane meets Luis Suarez and Segio Busquets at Inter Miami training
Roy Keane meets Luis Suarez and Segio Busquets at Inter Miami training

BreakingNews.ie

time42 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Roy Keane meets Luis Suarez and Segio Busquets at Inter Miami training

Roy Keane is not a fan of posing for pictures but he made an exception for Inter Miami stars Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The Manchester United legend is taking a stateside holiday and he visited the Inter Miami training ground. Advertisement The Manchester United legend posed with former Barcelona stars Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Photos: Inter Miami However, there was no sign of Lionel Messi. Keane met the players ahead of the MLS side's Club World Cup last-16 clash against PSG on Sunday. It's unclear how the meeting came about, but Keane's former teammate David Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami.

Expect Farrell's frustrations to vanish: the Lions will prioritise hunger and energy
Expect Farrell's frustrations to vanish: the Lions will prioritise hunger and energy

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Expect Farrell's frustrations to vanish: the Lions will prioritise hunger and energy

The British & Irish Lions' defeat by Argentina will have been shaken out of their system even before the jet lag. It is not difficult to draw a line under it. The tour starts when boots are on the ground in Australia and listening to the noises coming out of the camp, I'd be amazed if Andy Farrell is voicing the same frustrations after Saturday's match against Western Force. The handling errors against the Pumas stood out. I don't mind so much those that were committed in aerial contests – though there were a lot in open play as well – but I think what really frustrated Farrell is that Argentina appeared to be playing with more urgency at the breakdown and when it came to feeding off the loose scraps. The first match is always difficult. There is so much goodwill, so much energy behind the first Lions game of a tour that it can be hard not to force things, not to get carried away with a determination to impress. Bear in mind that Argentina are ranked fifth in the world and the Lions will not face another challenge like the Pumas until we get into the Test series. Clearly there was a desire to move the ball and keep it alive – and I always say that what we see on the pitch is a reflection of what has been worked on in training – but some of the decision-making let the Lions down. Whether it be a two-on-one on the edge that Marcus Smith ought to have spotted, or Duhan van der Merwe's failure to pass inside to Alex Mitchell. The expectation on Saturday is that the Lions demonstrate better decision-making and better accuracy, all underpinned by improvements according to Farrell's frustrations – namely hunger, desire and energy. I'm encouraged by the team that Farrell has selected and while I don't think it will be the Test team, I would have no problem with this XV lining up against the Wallabies. I like the blend of the backline, with pace, creativity and power and the fact that there is plenty of familiarity given the number of Leinster and Ireland players selected can only be a good thing. Last week there were certain similarities in what the Lions were trying to achieve in attack with how Farrell's Ireland go about things and that makes obvious sense. I would say that Ireland have the best attacking framework and structure of the four home nations so it stands to reason. When I talk about structure it can sound like a negative thing, like it can be constraining, but that doesn't have to be the case. Excuse the analogy but when I was doing Strictly Come Dancing, I thought that ballroom dancing would be really quite boring because it was all about 'the frame'. What I soon realised is once you've got the frame built and set, it effectively just becomes a pillar in the foundation. What you do within that frame – shoulders back, traps down, elbows high, fingers pointing, neck long, chin to 45 degrees – once you've got those principles in place, you can do whatever you want. So when it comes to the Lions' attacking structure, it looked similar to that of Ireland but that doesn't mean there is no room for players to act on instinct. A good example was Mitchell's pass out the back when recovering near his own line and I'd have liked to see a bit more of it. I was a bit surprised there was no attempt to tap and go, to up the tempo that little bit more. At this stage it is too early to read too much into combinations and what implications they might have for the Test team. It will only become apparent by the third match of the tour in Australia. Maro Itoje isn't playing Saturday but that's likely because Farrell wants to see him lining up alongside another second row and the time is not yet right for that. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion That said, this is certainly an opportunity for Henry Pollock, who had a mixed introduction off the bench against Argentina, while it will be interesting to see how Tadhg Beirne fares in the back row after the lineout troubles against the Pumas last week. I don't think it's unfair to say that the Lions should beat Western Force emphatically. They are the worst-ranked Australian team in Super Rugby whereas the Lions are now fully stacked, barring the odd injury niggle and Farrell will want them to go out and deliver a statement. The noise has already started coming from one or two former Australia players, claiming even that the Wallabies will whitewash the Lions. I love it when the noise starts but that is quite simply an incredible claim. I don't mean to get all Chris Whitty, but we have to follow the evidence and it simply doesn't exist to suggest the Lions will be whitewashed. Bold statements like that do, however, signal that the tour is up and running.

1,562bhp Chinese EV smashes its Nürburgring time, becomes third fastest overall
1,562bhp Chinese EV smashes its Nürburgring time, becomes third fastest overall

Top Gear

timean hour ago

  • Top Gear

1,562bhp Chinese EV smashes its Nürburgring time, becomes third fastest overall

Electric Xiaomi prototype somehow lops 24 seconds off its original time. What Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading A very yellow, very fast electric car from China has gone unfeasibly fast around a scary racetrack in Germany. Xiaomi, makers of the SU7 Ultra Prototype, has once again sent this mad, bad, 1,562bhp prototype on a hot lap, and hoo boy is it hot. Because where last year this car managed 6m 46.874s – and thus becoming the fastest four-door car to lap the 'Ring – this year it's managed a scarcely believable 6m 22.091s. That makes it the third fastest car overall around the Green Hell, behind only the Volkswagen ID.R and Porsche 919 Evo. Advertisement - Page continues below What. The. Indeed. Xiaomi has not explained exactly how it managed to carve off 24 seconds from its original already-bat***-quick time, only saying this run was timed 'under optimal conditions'. That's a polite way of putting it. Nothing polite about the SU7's drivetrain, of course. It's got something called a 'HyperEngine V8s', which doesn't mean that, sadly, but does mean three electric motors capable of spinning up to 27,200rpm. They're powered by a powerful battery, generating that immense power figure. You might like Naturally the SU7 Ultra Prototype gets bespoke aero – which in last year's record-breaking car could generate 285kg of downforce – so we can only wonder if it's even more bespoke for this year's run. Elsewhere you'll find big brakes, adaptive dampers, and the ability to chalk off 0-62mph in 1.98s (with a one-foot rollout). You'll notice the 'Prototype' in this car's suffix. No, you can't purchase an example like the one that did 6m 22.091s, but Xiaomi is selling a 'Track Package' car – Bilsteins, Pirelli P Zeros, carbon fibre wheel arches, 21s etc – and a 'Nürburgring Limited Edition'. Advertisement - Page continues below That car gets everything the Track Pack offers, along with a six-point harness, racing buckets, roll cage, and various bits crafted from carbon fibre including the underbody aero panels, bonnet, skirts, and rear spoiler. But you don't want to know about that. You want to watch a very yellow, very fast electric car from China go interminably fast around a scary racetrack in Germany. And hoo boy, does it go fast. 6 minutes 31 seconds Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store