Chelsea vs Al Hilal score predictions: Club World Cup final ticket punched?

Chelsea kicks off its second-ever FIFA Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday with a clash against an unfamiliar foe. Thomas Tuchel’s—well, Arno Michels’—squad begins its charge toward the desired trophy against the reigning AFC Champions League winner, Al Hilal. The Saudi Arabian giants come into the contest having already handed out a drubbing in Abu Dhabi. Al Hilal soundly defeated host club Al Jazira 6-1 in the previous round. If that scoreline isn’t enough for supporters to want to take Al Hilal seriously, maybe the fact that it’s coached by a former Ligue 1 winning manager will be enough to convince them. The Saudis pose a legitimate threat, especially with the number of familiar faces that play in the royal blue of the Asian Champions.

Nevertheless, the Blues are ready for the challenge. They are well rested and have a nice winning streak brewing. While it’s easy to get caught up in research on the opposition and begin to look too deep into the pre-game analysis, it’s just as easy to forget that Tuchel’s men were Champions of Europe not even 12 months ago. The UEFA representative is by far the favorite to win the Club World Cup this weekend, but how do the fans feel about this?

Here is how The Pride of London team sees the contest playing out:

Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 3-0 Chelsea

Yes, Al Hilal just beat Al Jazira 6-1, but come on. The Blues should see this through pretty comfortably, except they decide to go out of their way to make things extra difficult for themselves.

Gabe Henderson: 3-1 Chelsea

I spent hours researching everything Al Hilal in the build-up to this contest. I have learned everything from the club’s history to Odion Ighalo’s goal tally in the Saudi Professional League this season in the process. That’s all enough to convince me the reigning AFC Champions League winners mean business. The Blues will win in the end, but it won’t be quite as comfortable as many fans are praying and hoping it is this week.

Barrett Rouen: 3-0 Chelsea

I don’t think we’re playing well and to be honest, I don’t expect a clean sheet. We barely beat Plymouth Argyle with a full strength side. I hope we play youth players who actually care about the club and we are able to power through this.

Kevin Peacock: 2-0 Chelsea

Another day, another cup to go for. How spoilt us Chelsea fans are. Not sure where to go with this one, but have to go for a Blues win. Whilst it would be good to get this missing piece of the puzzle in the trophy cabinet, it’s by no means the most important silverware to be fought for this season. However, expect any Chelsea team to fight hard for any prize. Romelu Lukaku to silence the baying mob with both goals.

Olly Smith: 3-1 Chelsea

This is going to be far from easy and the scoreline will flatter the Blues. In the end, it will be the experience and particularly the big game cup experience that will see Chelsea scrape through. Goals from Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and a defender—take your pick.

Akshat Mehrish: 2-0 Chelsea

Comfortable? Probably not. Confident? Unlikely, given the rut we find ourselves in at the moment. Sometimes though, football teams just need to be clinical.

Mike Malley: 2-0 Chelsea

Without having watched a single Al Hilal match before in my life, I don’t know what to expect from the AFC Champions League champion. However, the Saudi side’s  6-1 win over Al Jazira in round two has put the rest of the competition on notice. Chelsea’s attack has simply not looked potent enough with Lukaku leading the line, so the Belgian will buy himself a lot with the Blues’ fanbase if he can lead the team to glory in the CWC. I’m hoping for a more dominant final scoreline than 2-0, but advancing by any means necessary is the main objective.

Leighton September: 5-1 Chelsea

This will be another tough battle without Tuchel on the sideline. This will undoubtedly be assistant coaches Michels and Zsolt Low’s biggest match without their head honcho at the helm. The team had a difficult afternoon against league one side Plymouth Argyle at the weekend, only scraping a 2-1 win after extra time. Lukaku starting instead of Havertz or Timo Werner is beyond me. Lukaku should never play for the team again, such a fraud. We should have enough for see off Al Hilal in the semifinal though.

Nate Hofmann: 2-1 Chelsea

As The Pride of London’s resident Arabic football expert, I can confirm that Chelsea boasts superior squad strength and depth. That said, I think the quick turnaround from a 120′ war against Plymouth, a long flight to Abu Dhabi and the climate shock from a British February to a middle eastern one could add up to a more stressful encounter than it might seem on paper. Talent is talent though, and Chelsea is just so much better that this should be fairly routine, whatever that means these days.

Abhishek Pancholi: 3-0 Chelsea

It should be easy. It won’t be, but the scoreline won’t tell you that.

What is your score prediction? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!