On Tuesday, June 24th at Geodis Park in Nashville, Boca Juniors will play for their last shot at advancing in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Argentine side, in their third Group C fixture (which also includes Benfica and Bayern Munich), will face bottom-of-the-table Auckland City, who are still without points. After two rounds, the Buenos Aires club has earned just one point, thanks to a 2-2 draw against Benfica in their opener and a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich. The lack of wins has taken its toll on their position in the table, and now Boca must win against the New Zealanders to keep their hopes alive for the next phase of the tournament. While Bayern Munich have already secured a spot in the knockout stage with six points, Boca Juniors are hoping for a heavy defeat for second-placed Benfica (currently on four points) against the Germans to potentially go through on goal difference. In short, to qualify as runners-up, Boca must win by the largest margin possible and hope Bayern do the same against the Portuguese side. Auckland City, for their part, have sparked curiosity in the first two rounds. Despite being one of the most successful clubs in their domestic league, they remain an amateur team. After conceding twelve goals in their first two games, the New Zealanders are set to exit the tournament, but not before attempting to score at least once to reclaim some pride and dignity.

Auckland City Recent Form and Key Stats

Auckland City began their tournament with a crushing 10-0 defeat to German champions Bayern Munich, followed by a 6-0 loss to Benfica. Unlike the match against the Bavarians, their defense held up until stoppage time in the first half against Benfica, when Di Maria scored from the penalty spot, before the Portuguese side ran riot in the second half.

The stats for Paul Posa’s side in this Club World Cup have been harsh. So far, they’ve conceded 16 goals—an average of 8 per match—and failed to score a single one. These numbers are likely to worsen against Boca Juniors.

Boca Juniors Recent Form and Key Stats

In their second Group C match, Boca Juniors narrowly lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich, just a few days after drawing 2-2 with Benfica in a game they once led 2-0. The Argentines conceded early to Kane, equalized through Miguel Merentiel in the second half, but were ultimately beaten by a late Olise goal.

Los Xeneizes haven’t looked particularly solid at the back in this tournament, conceding four goals in two matches. However, their attack has shown potential, having scored three times. Against Auckland City, Edinson Cavani might be back on the bench after a long injury layoff. Despite Merentiel’s strong performances, Cavani’s presence offers an extra weapon for coach Miguel Angel Russo.

Auckland City vs Boca Juniors Prediction and Tactical Overview

Auckland City was the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the Club World Cup. Although not the only side yet to earn a point, they are by far the one with the worst defensive record and no goals scored—an xG of just 0.15 reflects how little threat they’ve posed.

The expectation is that this match will follow the same script as those against Bayern and Benfica: Boca Juniors will be aiming for a goal fest to keep their qualification hopes alive, while the New Zealanders may bow out of the tournament without scoring a single goal.

The Auckland City vs Boca Juniors prediction leans heavily towards a one-sided affair, with the Argentines likely to keep a clean sheet—even without the suspended Herrera and Figal, who miss their second game in a row.

• Auckland City vs Boca Juniors prediction from the BetMines algorithm predicts that both teams will score at least one goal at 47%.
  
  
• Auckland City vs Boca Juniors prediction from the BetMines Algorithm predicts that at least one of the two teams will not score a goal at 53%.

Auckland City vs Boca Juniors Predicted Lineups

AUCKLAND CITY (5-4-1): Garrow; Murati, Boxall, Den Heijer, Mitchell, Lobo; Yoo, Garriga, Ilich, Manickum; Bevan. Coach: Paul Posa

BOCA JUNIORS (4-2-3-1): Marchesin; Advincula, Battaglia, Pellegrino, Blanco; Belmonte, Zenon; Zeballos, Palacios, Velasco; Merentiel. Coach: Miguel Angel Russo