Vinicius' poor form has lasted since last season - Photo: REUTERS
No European club has more experience in international competition than Real Madrid. In the FIFA Club World Cup alone, they have won the tournament five times.
When the FIFA Intercontinental Cup was launched last year (to upgrade the Club World Cup to a major tournament), Real Madrid also won it for the first time.
Two years ago, Real Madrid defeated Al Hilal 5-3 in the final. But that was before Saudi Arabian football had welcomed a massive wave of stars from Europe and South America.
Al Hilal had only two foreign players in that match, but they still caused some trouble for Real Madrid. Now, they have a squad almost enough to form a team to compete in the Champions League.
Mitrovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom, Ruben Neves, Cancelo, Koulibaly, Lodi and goalkeeper Bono - the 8 stars mentioned above will almost certainly be present in the match on the morning of June 19. Al Hilal has the strongest possible squad in this match.
On the contrary, Real Madrid are still suffering from the injury storm that has lasted since last season. Militao, Endrick, Mendy, Rudiger are definitely absent, while Alaba, Camavinga, Carvajal are also likely to be unable to play.
On the positive side, it is an opportunity for new players like Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold to have a chance to play from the start. But on the other hand, using many new players in defense also puts Real Madrid at great risk.
Bookmakers still rate Real Madrid very highly, offering them a handicap of 1.75 goals for the whole match, and 0.75 goals in the first half. The over/under ratio for the whole match is 3.25 goals, and for the first half it is 1.5 goals.
The over/under odds are quite optimistic when 7/9 of Al Hilal's recent matches have had 3 goals or more. Real Madrid will certainly play a strong attack in this match. They have scored the opening goal in 4/5 of their recent matches.
But it will not be easy for Xabi Alonso's new-look defence to stand firm against Al Hilal's counter-attacks. The game could be an open affair, and fans should be ready to witness the first earthquake of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Al Hilal: Bono; Tambakti, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi; Cancelo, Kanno, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, S. Al-Dawsari; Malcolm, Mitrovic.
Prediction: 1-1 draw at half time, 2-2 draw at the end.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-doan-ti-so-fifa-club-world-cup-real-madrid-e-che-ngay-ra-quan-20250618073149141.htm
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