Looking to add another honour to their trophy cabinet, Real Madrid will face Mexican outfit Pachuca in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday night in Qatar.
The tournament is a rebrand of the previous FIFA Club World Cup, with Manchester City the current holders after beating Flamengo last December.
Match preview
© Imago
Since a shock 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao on the domestic scene on December 4, Real Madrid have strung together a three-game unbeaten streak across La Liga and the Champions League, getting the aims of retaining the crown in both of those competitions back on the right track.
That being said, Los Blancos were forced to settle for a point at the home of Rayo Vallecano on Saturday evening, when goals from Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Brazil international Rodrygo were not enough to secure a total success at Estadio de Vallecas in front of 14,000 fans.
Dropping points for the sixth time this season at the top table of Spanish football, Real Madrid have dropped down to third place in the La Liga standings ahead of their festive trip to the Middle East, one point behind league leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in second.
Focusing on individuals for a moment, summer signing Kylian Mbappe has failed to truly set the world alight at the Santiago Bernabeu just yet, with the Frenchman arguably struggling to fit alongside all of the other Galacticos in Carlo Ancelotti's exciting class of 2024-25.
Real Madrid earnt their spot in Wednesday night's final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar courtesy of winning UEFA's elite club competition at Wembley Stadium in June, when second-half strikes from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr sealed a two-goal success over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League's showpiece match.
© Imago
Pachuca have taken a more convoluted route to this week's Intercontinental Cup final, with the Mexican outfit already spending over seven days in the Middle East as they fought through back-to-back matches against continental champions to earn the right to face European giants Real Madrid.
Tuzos enjoyed a comfortable success at Stadium 974 in Doha last Wednesday night, when second-half strikes from Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Salomon Rondon resulted in the 3-0 thumping of Brazilian side Botafogo, who lifted the Copa Libertadores title for first time in November.
Whilst Los Blancos battled away in Vallecano on Saturday, Pachuca were booking their spot in the Intercontinental Cup final with a penalty-shootout victory over African champions Al Ahly, with goalkeeper Carlos Moreno saving Khaled Abdelfattah's kick to win the contest.
Prior to their positive outings on the continental stage over the past week, Tuzos had endured a troubling end to their Liga MX Apertura campaign, winning just one of their last eight top-tier matches, meaning that they ended up 16th in the 18-team division.
Rather unsurprisingly, Lusail Stadium will witness the first-ever clash between Real Madrid and Pachuca on Wednesday night, although the two sides are set to become familiar foes, with both drawn into Group H of the next summer's revamped Club World Cup alongside Al-Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg.
Team News
© Imago
With their 24-man squad for the trip to Qatar revealed on Monday, it has been confirmed that Real Madrid's Mbappe will be part of the travelling party and could feature at Lusail Stadium.
The Frenchman picked up a thigh injury during the Champions League triumph over Atalanta BC last week and missed Saturday's stalemate at Rayo Vallecano as a result.
Los Blancos' defensive options remain limited due to the season-ending injuries suffered by Euro 2024-winning Carvajal and Brazilian Eder Militao.
David Alaba (knee) has recently returned to Real Madrid training but has not been selected by Ancelotti for the contest in Qatar this week.
Battling back from a muscle injury sustained at the beginning of the month, Ferland Mendy is also set to stay in Spain as his teammates fight for intercontinental success in the Middle East.
Returning from a thigh issue suffered in October, Pachuca's Andres Micolta has been instrumental over the past week and should start in the final on Wednesday.
Tuzos remain without the services of defensive midfielder Israel Luna, who picked up a campaign-ending cruciate ligament injury in April.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Pachuca possible starting lineup:
Moreno; Rodriguez, Cabral, Micolta, Gonzalez; Montiel, Pedraza, Deossa, Bautista, Idrissi; Rondon
We say: Real Madrid 3-0 Pachuca
As the champions of Europe, Real Madrid will be expected to swan into the Lusail Stadium and romp to victory on Wednesday night, especially if all of their attacking stars are fit to make the starting XI.
CONCACAF champions Pachuca will cherish the chance to pit their wits against one of the world's biggest clubs, although we do not believe that the Mexicans will enjoy a fairytale final in Qatar.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
