Club World Cup Team Betting Predictions: Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors, alongside bitter rivals River Plate, are Argentina's two participants at the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup, which kicks off in the USA on June 15. Both sides qualified for the tournament through their Conmebol ranking pathway, but while River are highly fancied to progress past the group stage, Boca have their work cut out, according to the bookies.

Below are my Boca Juniors Fifa Club World Cup 2025 predictions, as I assess their prospects at the tournament, and pick out a player to keep a close eye on.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors, Benfica, Auckland City

Fixtures: Boca Juniors vs Benfica (23:00 BST, June 16), Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors (02:00 BST, June 21), Auckland City vs Boca Juniors (20:00 BST, June 24)

Player to watch: Edinson Cavani

Boca are ranked third in the world in terms of number of complete international titles, after Spanish giants Real Madrid (34) and Egyptian side Al Ahly (26), but haven't won the Copa Libertadores since 2007, and are a shadow of their former selves.

There are plenty of familiar names to European audiences in their squad, with a trio of former Manchester United players - Edinson Cavani, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo - in their ranks, but very little star quality, with Ezequiel Fernandez (Al Qadisah) and Aaron Anselmino (Chelsea) among the talented youngsters to have been lured overseas in the past year.

The Buenos Aires-based club have suffered great disappointment already this calendar year, exiting the Copa Libertadores at the qualifying stage following a penalty shootout defeat to Peruvian side Alianza Lima and losing 1-0 to Independiente in the Apertura play-off quarter-finals.

Former midfielder Fernando Gago paid the price for a 2-1 Superclasico defeat to River Plate in April, with Miguel Angel Russo replacing him as head coach at the end of May following a three-game interim period by Mariano Herron.

Club World Cup 2025 Odds

This will be Russo's third stint in charge at Boca, and he couldn't really ask for a more difficult start to life back in the hot seat as he takes on Benfica and Bayern in his first two games back as boss.

Player to watch: Edinson Cavani

Okay, he's nowhere near the level of player that was tormenting defences in Italy and France for Napoli and PSG, respectively, as his career begins to wind down back in South America, but write Edinson Cavani off at your peril.

The Uruguayan only scored three times in 16 appearances for Boca in 2023, following his release from Valencia at the end of the 2022/23 season, but he came back with a bang the following year, scoring 20 goals in 39 games.

Cavani's only on two from 12 outings in 2025 and missed three consecutive games before returning as a substitute in Boca's 1-0 defeat to Independiente on May 20, but his experience could be vital over in the States.

Fellow forwards Milton Gimenez and Miguel Merentiel aren't in searing form either, failing to score in their last five and three appearances, respectively, and Cavani will be desperate to bow out of the international scene with some grace, so expect to see 'El Matador' in the thick of the action at the Club World Cup, whether that be as a starter or a substitute trying to make an impact late in the game.

The legs may have deserted him slightly, but the 38-year-old is still a fox in the box, and could be deadly if given half a chance.

Football Odds

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Prediction: Third in Group C

Bayern are expected to run away with top spot in Group C, leaving Benfica and Boca to slug it out for second while Auckland City accept fourth place.

Benfica aren't necessarily a side to be feared in America, but it's fair to say that they possess a much more talented squad than their Argentine counterparts, and will be desperate to make amends for finishing runners-up to Lisbon rivals Sporting in this season's Primeira Liga and Taca de Portugal.

Boca haven't won any of their last four games in regulation or extra time, and having been stripped of some of their most talented youngsters in recent years, they're left with a pretty ageing squad that looks unsuited to the demands of two high-level fixtures in the space of five days.

They should swat aside Auckland City, but I'm not confident in their chances against Bayern or Benfica.

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