Rabat – Real Madrid will face Al Hilal tonight, as part of the FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. It’s the opening Group H match for both clubs.
Real Madrid is a five-time winner of the FIFA Club World Cup previous format. Al Hilale, a respected team, is among Asia’s most decorated clubs.
The match’s kick-off is 8:00 p.m. Morocco time (GMT +1), and fans can catch the action live on MBCMasr 2, Showmax, TNT, TBS, truTV, Hulu + Live TV, and DirecTV.
Real Madrid is taking part in the tournament under new head coach Xabi Alonso, who was appointed on May 25 after Carlo Ancelotti’s departure.
After a trophyless domestic season, finishing second in La Liga with 84 points and exiting the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Arsenal, Los Blancos will be aiming to win the tournament and close the season with silverware.
Real Madrid enter the tournament with an Enhanced squad, having signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth.
However, they’re missing key players: David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, and Endrick.
Eder Militão and Daniel Carvajal have just returned to training but may not take part in the tournament’s first phase. Antonio Rüdiger and Thibaut Courtois are also managing fitness issues.
Al Hilal also arrived under new head coach Simone Inzaghi, appointed on June 4, following Jorge Jesus’s dismissal. The Riyadh club finished second in the Saudi Pro League with 75 points and were eliminated from the AFC Champions Cup by Al Ahli.
Al Hilal’s squad includes Joao Cancelo, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, and Aleksandar Mitrović, with Salem Al-Dawsari as their key player. Cancelo and Marcos Leonardo are fit again after a hamstring issue; they might come off the bench.
Key players to watch are Kylian Mbappé from Real Madrid, who scored 43 goals with his club this season in all competitions. For Al Hilal, Aleksandar Mitrović, who scored 28 goals in all competitions with Al Hilal
Possible line-ups
Real Madrid (4-3-3):Andriy Lunin; Raul asensio, Dean Huijsen, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo Goes, Kylian Mbappe, Vinícius Junior.
Al Hilal (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Joao Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Renan Lodi; Ruben Neves, Mohamed Kanno; Malcom, Milinković-Savić, Salem Al-Dawsari; Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Prediction
Real Madrid’s front three can open up Al Hilal’s defense, with Bellingham in control, while Hilal will rely on Malcom and Mitrović on the counter, but Madrid’s squad quality is superior
Verdict: Real Madrid 4-1 Al Hilal.
