Preview: Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to record their first wins of the group stage, Palmeiras and Al Ahly clash at MetLife Stadium in the Club World Cup on Thursday afternoon.

Verdao shared the spoils with European outfit Porto last time out, whilst the Red Devils commenced the tournament with a stalemate against Inter Miami.

Match preview

Aiming to secure a top-two finish and make it through to the last 16 of FIFA's revamped Club World Cup, Palmeiras commenced their schedule in the United States this summer with a share of the honours with Porto at MetLife Stadium on Sunday evening.

With Verdao's Estevao and attacker Rodrigo Mora of Porto on the pitch at the same time, there were two prodigies on show for those in attendance, but the game did not provide any goals, with both Weverton and Claudio Ramos keeping clean sheets.

After collecting a draw from their opening match of the section, Palmeiras are currently occupying third spot in the Group A standings by the virtue of alphabetical order, meaning that there is all to play for ahead of matches versus Al Ahly and Inter Miami over the next week.

Both top goalscorer and assister for his side during the 2024 Brazilian Serie A campaign, wonderkid Estevao is playing his final matches for Verdao ahead of a permanent move across the globe to Premier League giants Chelsea at the end of this competition.

Forty-five time winners of the Egyptian Premier League and 12-time victors in the CAF Champions League, Al Ahly are the standout side from Africa at this summer's Club World Cup and were given the honour of opening the show against Inter Miami on the weekend.

The contest at the Hard Rock Stadium was set to be a goalfest according to some specialists, but what panned out was a thrilling goalless draw, with the highlight arriving during the closing stages of the first period, when Trezeguet missed a penalty for the Red Devils.

Having passed through the test of Miami and Messi unscathed, Al Ahly are sitting at the summit of the Group A rankings with one point, with maximum points against Palmeiras on Thursday afternoon potentially enough to see them through to the last 16.

Topping all of the attacking metrics for the Red Devils in the Egyptian Premier League this season, Emam Ashour is the star of the show for Thursday's designated away side, although the 27-year-old suffered a nasty injury early in the match versus the Herons.

Palmeiras Club World Cup form:

D

Al Ahly Club World Cup form:

D

Team News

Palmeiras remain without the services of Bruno Rodrigues, who has been sidelined for the whole of 2025 to date owing to an injury.

Verdao are also short of options in midfield areas because of the serious knee problem sustained by Figueiredo at the end of February.

As alluded to earlier, Al Ahly star man Ashour suffered a broken collarbone in the match versus Inter Miami, ruling him out of the remainder of the Club World Cup.

With slightly more experience than the Red Devils talisman, Zizo is now expected to come into the XI for the Egyptians on Thursday.

Palmeiras possible starting lineup:

Weverton; Giay, Gomez, Cerqueira; Anderson, Rios, Moreno, Piquerez; Estevao, Mauricio, Roque

Al Ahly possible starting lineup:

El Shenawi; Hany, Dari, Ibrahim, Kouka; Ben Romdhane, Attia, Fathi; Zizo, Trezeguet, Ali

Expert view

Diego Iwata, Palmeiras expert, live from New Jersey:

Palmeiras played well against Porto, being competitive and creating good chances, but were stopped by the great performance of the Portuguese goalkeeper.

Against the Egyptians, the expectation is that the Brazilian club will try once again to implement its aggressive style of play, and they are considered the favourites to win. The team showed that they can even qualify in first place in the group.

We say: Palmeiras 1-1 Al Ahly

With an incredible amount on the line for both sides, we are expecting a cagey affair between Palmeiras and Al Ahly this week.

The Red Devils could be blunt in attack without the talents of Ashour, although they should be good enough for a share of the points.

Written by
Carter White

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