FIFA Club World Cup: Bayern Favourite Amid COVID-19 Spikes

Bayern Munich are the overwhelming favourite to clinch their sixth trophy as they head to Qatar for the delayed FIFA Club World Cup.

Bayern qualified after their triumph in last season's UEFA Champions League, the crowning moment of 2020 which also saw Hansi Flick's team win the Bundesliga, German Cup, Uefa Super Cup and German Super Cup.

Now they are hoping to become the eighth consecutive European winner of the Club World Cup, a run that started when Bayern themselves lifted the trophy in Morocco in 2013.

If they do so they can – albeit with the caveat that this competition is being played in a different calendar year – match the achievement of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, who won six trophies in 2009.

READ ALSO: FIFA Club World Cup Set For Qatar In February 2021

"That would probably be the icing on the cake, but it's obviously going to be a challenge," said Flick.

"It's always the case at Bayern Munich that you want to have the most successful season possible and after the treble, you're obviously looking at the FIFA Club World Cup."

Bayern have named all the big guns, from Manuel Neuer to Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski, in their squad ahead of their entrance in the semifinal next Monday against either African champions Al Ahly or host nation representative Al Duhail.

PALMEIRAS IN FINAL?

High odds pick Bayern into the final on 11 February and could face Palmeiras, with the Brazilians fresh from winning the Copa Libertadores last weekend.

Palmeiras play their semifinal on Sunday against either Tigres of Mexico, the CONCACAF Champions League winner, or Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, who are back in Qatar after winning the Asian Champions League there in December.

Tigres and Ulsan Hyundai kick the tournament off on Thursday when they meet at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, on the outskirts of Doha.

COVID-19 RAMPANT, BUT FANS ALLOWED IN

The mood in Doha is less electrifying compared to the last Club World Cup in December 2019, which saw thousands of supporters of Liverpool and Brazilian giants Flamengo descend on the normally staid city.

This time, the tournament kicks off with Qatar seeing a spike in coronavirus cases and hospital admissions, and local authorities have taken a swathe of measures including banning travelling fans from outside the country.

New cases over the last week jumped by a third compared to the week before, according to official data, while hospital admissions due to COVID-19 are up 85 per cent in the past month, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health.

As of Monday, 249 people had died from the virus while the overall caseload has topped 151 000 in a country with a population of under three million.