Christmas is a time for fairy-tales. African side Raja Casablanca have battled admirably to reach the final of the Club World Cup and after a shock 3-1 victory against Ronaldinho’s Atletico Minero, they will be hoping that they can overcome all the odds to go one step further against arguably the best team in the world – a Bayern Munich side that have been rampant during 2013.

Pep Guardiola has admittedly faced bigger challenges in his career, and with a side brimming with confidence and packed full of talent – not least a superb, in-form Mario Götze and Balloon d’Or nominee Franck Ribéry – he will feel confident of tying up the Bavarians' fifth trophy of the calendar year. They will not, however, underestimate Faouzi Benzarti’s side – because as everyone knows, strange things often happen on a football field.

Bayern, in contrast to their opponents, though, have strolled through to the final, with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande side. The Chinese Super League and Asian Champions League winners offered minimal resistance, as they were bowled over by an impressive Bayern outfit. Three goals in a seven-minute period from Ribéry and the two super Mario’s – Messer’s Mandžukić and Götze – were enough to comfortably book a place in the final.

When the final does kick off in Marrakech on December 21, the German champions will feel that it is theirs for the taking. Standing in their way will be a hungry, excited team of under-dogs that have nothing to lose. Behind them, the Moroccan side will have the full support of the crowd, who will push them to give it their all. Few think the Club World Cup with be anything other than another notch on the honours bed post for Guardiola and Bayern, but who knows, perhaps the festive season is about to give us something a bit special.

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About the author
Ben Johnson
Ben; 21; author and journalist.