Match for Group H of the FIFA Club World Cup, between Spain’s Real Madrid and Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami.
Facts
- These two teams have faced each other once before, in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup. Real Madrid won that one 5-3.
- Real Madrid have won this competition five times and will participate in this iteration as the 2021-2022 Champions League winners.
- Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal qualified thanks to winning the Asian Champions League 2021, and their place in the FIFA standings.
- Real Madrid finished the season without a title, coming in second in the league and boasting the second-best attacking output (78 goals).
- Al Hilal had the best attack in the Saudi League, but they ultimately finished in second place.
Betting Tip Real Madrid - Al Hilal
Real Madrid is the clear favourite here, while Al Hilal will enter this game fresh off appointing Simone Inzaghi. Both teams have a lot of attacking talent. We are picking goals to be scored, more specifically BTTS and Over 2.5 Goals.
- Prediction: BTTS & Over 2,5
- Odds: 2.10
- Stake: 6
Real Madrid
The season ended without a title, and its conclusion has brought about several changes. Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, falling to Arsenal with a disappointing 1-5 aggregate score. They failed to win any domestic glory either, losing the league, the cup, and the Super Cup to Barcelona.
Legend manager Carlo Ancelotti departed the team after several seasons, and former player Xabi Alonso is now the one leading the team. Kylian Mbappe was tremendous in his first season as a Real Madrid player, scoring 40 goals in 52 games, and he will have Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior to support him once again.
Reinforcements have arrived on defence - Huijzen arrived from Bournemouth, as did Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool.
They are one of the betting odds favourites to win the Club World Cup, having a very talented squad and high motivation to wash off last season's disappointment. Manager Xabi Alonso wants to start off strong, and there are a lot of players looking to make a name for themselves.
Players such as Ramon Jacobo, eager to impress and secure a spot in the first team, will feature.
Club legend Luka Modric will play his final games as a Real Madrid player in this tournament, with his departure scheduled to follow. Camavinga and Carvajal will not feature due to injury.
Al Hilal
They finished in second place in the Saudi League, following last season’s title. Despite having the best attacking output in the league with 95 goals, they were unable to secure their 20th league title. Brazilian superstar Neymar departed the team mid-season, which was not a significant drawback considering the season he was having.
Al Hilal made a significant move at the helm, appointing a new manager by poaching away the 49-year-old Italian manager Simone Inzaghi from Inter. The Italian was able to win one Italian championship and two Coppa Italia with Inter, as well as reaching two Champions League finals, without achieving a win there.
He will now lead a squad with several quality players, such as goalkeeper Bono and Portuguese right-back Cancelo. Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves is a midfield powerhouse, while Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic is terrific up front, scoring 25 goals in 31 games last season.
There is ongoing speculation about further additions to the team, all of which are potentially worth millions, but none of them have materialised in time for the FWCW.
Al Hilal finished the season on an 8-game unbeaten run, 6 of them ending with BTTS. They were knocked out of the Asian Champions League by Al Ahli (3-1) in the semi-finals.
