Our prediction for this FIFA Club World Cup match:
All eyes will be on Cairo International Stadium when Al Ahly and Bayern Munchen face each other in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals. Al Ahly set up a meeting with the Bavarian giants by beating Al-Duhail (1-0), but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in Monday’s football match. Zambia international Walter Bwalya is widely expected to lead the line for the Egyptians.
The Champions League winners, on the other hand, are eyeing yet another prestigious silverware. Hansi Flick’s men are on a four-game winning run in the Bundesliga, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against Al Ahly. Since Hansi Flick can count on key players for the Cairo International Stadium showdown, anything but a routine away win would be a major surprise.
Highlighted Player (Robert Lewandowski):
After scoring 36 goals in 59 league games for Znicz Pruskow, Robert Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan in June, 2008. The 184-cm-tall attacker scored 18 goals in 28 appearances for the club in the 2009/2010 Ekstraklasa campaign and during the season he was on Borussia Dortmund’s radar.
The Polish forward signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side in June, 2010 and he quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker. Lewandowski was producing excellent performances with the Millionaires between 2010 and 2014 and it has to be noted that he won two Bundesliga trophies with the club (2010/2011, 2011/2012). He participated in the 2012/2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund, but the Millionaires were beaten by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the title game.
However, he betrayed Borussia Dortmund fans in 2014 as he signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. Lewandowski impressed in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign as he scored 30 goals in 32 league games for Pep Guardiola’s troops. The Polish footballer represented his homeland at Euro 2016 in France and he scored one goal at the showpiece tournament in France.
Highlighted Team (Bayern Munich):
Over the years Bayern Munich have established themselves as one of the most successful European clubs. The Stern des Sudens (Star of the South) are the dominant force in German football and it has to be noted that the Bavarians clinched their 26th Bundesliga title in 2016. Bayern Munich have won 18 German Cup trophies, while winning the Champions League (European Cup) five times.
The German giants clinched the Intercontinental Cup in 1976 and 2001, while lifting the FIFA Club World Cup trophy in 2013. Bayern Munich was founded in 1900 by eleven football players and their leader was Franz John. The Bavarians host their rivals at Allianz Arena (75,000), the stadium that was built in 2005.
Fellow Bavarian sides TSV 1860 Munchen 1860 and Nurnberg are regarded as Bayern Munich’s fiercest rivals, but the rivalry between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern is big as well. The likes of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus, Oliver Kahn, Gerd Muller and Giovane Elber are famous footballers who played for Bayern Munich in the past.