Chelsea vs Palmeiras Predictions

• Chelsea were unconvincing in a 1-0 win over Al-Hilal in the previous round.
• Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in six of Palmeiras’ last seven games.
• The have been under 2.5 goals scored in each of Chelsea’s last six.
• Palmeiras have conceded just once in their last seven.

Don’t expect fireworks in FIFA Club World Cup final

Chelsea take on Brazil’s Palmeiras in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday and goals could well be at a premium at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The European champions overcame Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal 1-0 in the previous round thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s first half strike. The game was fairly close and Chelsea weren’t necessarily convincing winners, and they will need to raise their game against Palmerias.

The South American representatives beat Egyptian outfit Al Ahly 2-0 to secure their final spot. Again, that was a fairly even contest but it was Palmeiras’ sixth clean sheet in seven games and the stats suggest goals could be few and far between on Saturday.

Showpiece should appeal to unders backers

Comparing records across leagues, and in this case continents, can be tricky but there isn’t much else to go on and both of these teams have been involved in some low scoring games recently.

Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in six of Palmeiras’ last seven games, which have averaged 1.8 goals per-game, and there have been fewer than three scored in each of Chelsea’s last six.

As this is a final it could well be a cagey affair and the pressure is on Chelsea to deliver after their defeat in the final 10 years ago, despite the fact Cesar Azpilicueta is the only player still at the club who was involved in that defeat to Corinthians.

Since then, every Club World Cup has been won by a European team and that adds a bit more pressure – and with Palmerias’ looking strong at the back there is a chance these teams could cancel each other out over 90 minutes.

The Brazilian outfit have only conceded one goal in their last seven games and Chelsea have four clean sheets in their last eight so a 0-0 bore draw is my correct score selection.