Bayern Munich are clear favourites to win their opening Club World Cup fixture against Auckland City, champions of the OFC Champions League. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern have the attacking firepower to go far in the tournament, though their defensive frailties and occasional lack of organisation may give cause for concern.  

Their goalscoring record speaks for itself, with 99 goals scored in the Bundesliga during the 24/25 season – an average of 2.91 per game, the highest in the league. They netted 22 times in the first half of league matches last term, with 71% of their games featuring at least one goal before the interval. Few sides in Europe can compete with such numbers, which suggests Auckland City could be in for a difficult evening.  

In the 24/25 Bundesliga, 41% of Bayern’s total goals came before half time. They will see this match as an opportunity to make a strong start to the competition and gather momentum for tougher tests ahead. For Auckland, the focus will be on limiting the damage, keeping the scoreline respectable to avoid a demoralising defeat in their first Club World Cup outing.

PSG firmly established themselves as Europe's finest side during the 24/25 season, delivering the most convincing Champions League final victory in years with a 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan. Under Luis Enrique, they have built a well rounded, industrious team that retains exceptional quality – addressing the lack of work rate that had undermined previous star studded squads which failed to win the biggest prize in club football.  

Few teams can cope with PSG's attacking threat, particularly their formidable front three of Doué, Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia, who have been outstanding since January. The French champions scored 92 goals in 34 Ligue 1 matches last season (2.70 per game), a level of firepower that Atlético Madrid will struggle to match after netting just 68 times in 38 La Liga fixtures (1.78 per game). Atlético's inability to finish games proved costly in their title bid – they drew 10 league matches, the same number as defeats (6), which ultimately left them trailing rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.  

PSG ended the campaign with five straight wins and, fresh from their Champions League triumph, will fancy their chances against most opponents in this competition. With world class talent now complemented by Luis Enrique's disciplined defensive structure, they look well placed to add yet another trophy to their 24/25 successes.

Palmeiras will really fancy their chances of getting out of this group, in which they’ve been drawn against Porto, Al Ahly and Inter Miami. Palmeiras come into this game having won seven of their 11 games in Serie A this season and finished second in the division behind Botafogo last campaign.

Porto have not enjoyed the best season, they lost long-term head coach, Sergio Conceicao, to AC Milan during the campaign and have not really managed to recover since then, finishing third in Liga Portugal behind Benfica and Sporting. They also finished 18th during the group stages of the Europa League, eventually being knocked out of the competition by Roma.

The player to keep an eye on here for Palmeiras is Estevao. The 18-year-old has joined Chelsea but will be competing with Palmeiras for the duration of this tournament. Estevao registered 25 goal contributions last season (15 goals, 10 assists) and has already racked up 16 goal contributions this campaign. He can be crucial in helping Palmeiras to score against in their opening Club World Cup game.