The Matchday 3 encounter in the 2025 Club World Cup between Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and Pachuca (Mexico) will take place on June 27 at Geodis Park in Nashville, USA. Al-Hilal vs. Pachuca: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Al-Hilal
The Saudis have not disappointed so far in the Club World Cup. In their opening two matches, the team faced European opponents and managed to avoid defeat: first drawing with Real Madrid (1-1) and then sharing the spoils with Salzburg (0-0). Al-Hilal can advance to the round of 16 if they win their match and the other group game ends in either a goalless draw or a win for one of the opponents. A 1-1 draw in the parallel game would also suffice, but they would need to beat the Mexicans and surpass the Austrians on additional criteria.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 13 of their last 15 matches in the AFC Champions League and the Club World Cup (10 wins and 3 draws).
- Al-Hilal scored in 24 of their last 26 games in these tournaments.
- The Saudis opened the scoring in 11 of their last 15 encounters in the AFC Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Predicted lineup for Al-Hilal (4-3-3)
Yassine Bounou – Kalidou Koulibaly, Renan Lodi, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Joao Cancelo – Salem Al-Dawsari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Malcom, Ruben Neves, Marcos Leonardo.
The participation of forward Aleksandar Mitrovic is still in question due to injury.
Pachuca
Jaime Lozano's side faced European representatives in the first two rounds and suffered defeats in both. First, there was an unexpected loss to Salzburg (1-2), and then the club, despite playing with a numerical advantage for most of the match, fell to Real Madrid with a 1-3 scoreline. The Mexicans, with no points, have already bid farewell to their hopes of making the playoffs a round before the group stage ends. Even if the team wins the upcoming game, they will not rise above third place.
- The team has played 11 matches in the Club World Cup and has only secured one victory in regular time (4 draws and 6 losses).
- Both teams scored in 5 of Pachuca's last 6 games in the CONCACAF Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Predicted lineup for Pachuca (4-2-3-1)
Carlos Moreno – Bryan Gonzalez, Luis Rodriguez, Federico Pereira, Eduardo Gabriel – Elias Montiel, Alan Bautista – Agustin Palavecino, Alexei Dominguez, Robert Kennedy – Salomon Rondon.
Referee
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024–2025);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 25%.
Match Prediction: Al-Hilal vs. Pachuca
Al-Hilal is missing Aleksandar Mitrovic up front. Nevertheless, the club has performed well against European teams even without their key forward. There is a chance that the Serbian will play in the final round and help his team advance to the playoffs. To achieve this, Al-Hilal needs to defeat the Mexicans, preferably by a large margin.
Pachuca no longer has tournament motivation, so the players are unlikely to be fully focused for this match. The team is clearly in poor form, having not won any of their last four consecutive matches in their domestic league before the Club World Cup. As a result, the club's winless streak now stands at 6 official matches (2 draws and 4 losses). Considering that Al-Hilal needs a convincing victory, the prediction is: Al-Hilal with a handicap of (-1)
