BOCA JUNIORS vs ETOILE SPORTIVE

Kickoff : 6.30pm

League : World Club Championship

Early preview from Soccernet:

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 11 (Reuters) - South American champions Boca Juniors have promised to tear apart Tunisian side Etoile Sahel's defence in Wednesday's Club World Cup semi-final.

'We will definitely score goals and win,' Boca coach Miguel Angel Russo told reporters. 'Our style is to go out and to score goals. We won't change that philosophy for anyone.'
Barring any major upsets, Boca are expected to face Italy's AC Milan in the final of the seven-team tournament in Yokohama on Sunday. Milan face Japan's Urawa Reds on Thursday.
Even Etoile coach Bertrand Marchand admitted Wednesday's match in Tokyo was almost a case of mission impossible for the African Champions League winners.

'Boca are a massive club and are on a totally different level,' the Frenchman said. 'It's an honour for us just to play against them.'
Marchand offered similar eulogies to Mexico's Pachuca before his young side produced an upset 1-0 win in their opening match at the weekend.

But Etoile realistically have little chance of achieving a shock victory over Boca. The Argentine giants simply possess too much firepower - and the game means too much.
'We'll put them under pressure and if they slip up we will punish them,' said Russo, whose side missed out on the Argentine Apertura championship last month. 'We will score goals.'
Boca won the Club World Cup's forerunner, a one-off game between the champions of Europe and South America, three times, the last time beating Milan on penalties in 2003.

Brazilian clubs won the first two versions of the new-look FIFA tournament. Sao Paulo beat Liverpool 1-0 in 2005 before Internacional stunned Barcelona by the same score last year.
Russo is anxious to keep South America's winning streak alive.
'We take nothing for granted,' he said. 'We had thought we were going to play Pachuca. Anything can happen in football but every one of our players wants to fight for this trophy.'

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FREAKTIPS REVIEW

The first semifinal of the World Club Championship pits the Monster Boca Juniors against unknown Etoile Sportive. With the match being being doubt as David vs Goliath, many punters would be placing their moneys on Boca regardless of 1x2 or Asian Handicap. Even myself would be tempted to take Boca -1.5 just by reading the review available from Soccernet and FIFA.com. Boca's coach has promised an avalanche of goals against Etoile, indirectly hinting to readers that Boca would most likely qualify for the finals. With news such as this widely circulated on the media, why are the oddsmakers offering Tg2.5 & 2.75. If the tunisian team were to be that weak to concede three goals or more, they would have done so in the quarter finals match against Pachuca.

This comes to show that the Tunisian team does posses a strong backline and a reliable goalkeeper in their squad. With Etoile knowing very well of the firepower that Boca possesses, the coach would most probably be working on refining the squad's defence and relying on counter attacks to sneak a goal against Boca like what they have done to Pachuca. I do not underestimate Etoile as a club that made it to the Semifinals of the World Club championship just to be on a receiving end of the match. With oddsmakers offering such a low Tg, it strenghtens my believe that this game would be more off a dull match then a goal spree event.

Likely Boca to qualify with 1-0 or 2-0 scoreline in my opinion. Shall go with me placing my money on Total Goal Under 2.75.

Verdict : Total Goal Under 2.75 FT (3 STAR BET)