Al Ahly - Monterrey

FIFA Club World Cup 2012, Third-place play-off

Won't go on too much about this match, since I've already spoken about both these teams. Monterrey showed against Ulsan that they like to play possession football, with an emphasis on attacking moves, and they've done it with success. They also showed some glimpses of that against Chelsea, but the English-giants had by far more quality, so they didn't give the Mexicans any chances. Meanwhile, Al Ahly showed terrible defending skills against Hiroshima, and they have to thank the J-League team for squandering around 5-6 clear-cut chances. They did show some improvements against Corinthians, but the Brazilians didn't suffocate them with pressure either, as they were content with just winning by the margin and saving their energies for the final clash against Chelsea. In this match, the third place will be at stake, and I'm quite sure that both teams want it. Monterrey has the quality and skill advantage, and are rightfully favorites, even though I was expecting some lower odds for them (which means we have some value here). Won't be an easy task, but without some serious improvements for the Egyptians, I don't see them taking anything from this game. GL!

Monterrey (-0.25 AH) @ 1.94, 5/10
Result: 0-2, WON

LDU Quito - El Nacional

Ecuador Serie A, Third place play-off

Last match of the year in South America, and while most teams are already either celebrating a successful season, either already on holiday making plans for 2012, LDU and El Nacional will fight their final battle for the Libertadores qualification. LDU comes after a very long season, and unfortunately for them, without much success, having not won the league title, while also losing in the Sudamericana final, against a superb U de Chile. So that means that this match is the 'make-or-break' moment of the year. They either win this, or they are out of the 2012 Libertadores, and of course, that is not an option for them. El Nacional reached the 4th spot in the aggregate table in extremis, having finished just with 2 points more than Barcelona. Still, they deserve that spot, as they have played well and consistently throughout the year. They come into this match with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, but in that match LDU played with a 90% reserve team, due to their Sudamericana finals. But now, in the last match before the holidays, they will use the best they have, and will go for the win from the first minute of the match. It won't be a walk in the park, but LDU is the better team here, they are fully focused and determined to save their season, and also, they have won their last 7 matches against El Nacional, when playing in Casa Blanca. GL!

LDU (-1 AH) @ 1.96, 4/10

Result: 1-1, LOST