Real Madrid is about to start a new chapter under Xabi Alonso! They'll kick off their Club World Cup journey on Wednesday against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal at Hard Rock Stadium. Interestingly, Al-Hilal also has a new manager, Simone Inzaghi, who recently left Inter Milan.
Even though Real Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, the 2024-25 season was a bit of a letdown. They lost the league title to Barcelona, and also fell short in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals.
After that disappointing season, experienced manager Carlo Ancelotti left a year before his contract was up to become the new head coach for the Brazil national team. Real Madrid quickly announced Alonso as his replacement.
Alonso decided to leave his successful stint as Bayer Leverkusen boss to return to the club where he played 236 games and won several trophies, including a La Liga title and a Champions League.
Alonso has already seen his squad boosted with new additions like Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold. While Franco Mastantuono will join after the Club World Cup, Alonso has a chance to win a trophy before his first full season even begins.
Real Madrid is looking to clinch their sixth Club World Cup title, having previously won it in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022. They're definitely the favorites to win Group H, with upcoming matches against Mexico's Pachuca and Austria's Red Bull Salzburg after their clash with Al-Hilal.
Just over two weeks ago, Inzaghi was at the helm when Inter suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in a one-sided Champions League final in Munich. The Italian soon left his position by mutual agreement, ending his four-year tenure as Inter boss, during which he won a Serie A title, two Italian Cups, and two Italian Super Cups.
A day after leaving Inter, Inzaghi was confirmed as Al-Hilal's new manager. He takes over a team that finished second in the Saudi Pro League, 13 points behind champions Al-Ittihad. Inzaghi's main task will be to help Al-Hilal reclaim their Saudi Pro League title in 2025-26.
But first, he'll be focused on guiding his new team through the Club World Cup group stage, even though they face a tough challenge in their opening match against the 15-time European champions.
While they'll be the clear underdogs, Al-Hilal might fancy their chances of troubling Real Madrid's defense. They scored an impressive 95 goals in 34 matches in the 2024-25 season, making them the Saudi Pro League's highest scorers.
They'll also remember their valiant effort in the 2022 Club World Cup final in Morocco, where they scored three goals in a 5-3 loss to Real Madrid.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
A few Real Madrid players, including Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy, have traveled to the USA despite being injured.
However, it's unlikely they'll play in Wednesday's match. There's also a question mark over Antonio Rudiger's fitness after he had meniscus surgery in April.
Brazilian forward Endrick isn't expected to feature in the tournament due to a hamstring injury he picked up last month.
On a brighter note, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen are both set to make their highly anticipated debuts after joining from Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively.
Upfront, Kylian Mbappé will be looking to continue his fantastic form from his first La Liga season, where he scored 31 goals in 34 league appearances to win both the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe.
As for Al-Hilal, their new manager Inzaghi will likely use his preferred 3-5-2 formation, which might require some adjustments from the squad. Bono, the former Sevilla goalkeeper, is expected to be in goal, protected by a back three of Kalidou Koulibaly, Hassan Tambakti, and Ali Al-Bulayhi.
After missing the last six games of the season, former Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo will be hoping to get fit in time to play as one of the two wing-backs. Upfront, Aleksandar Mitrovic will be one of Al-Hilal's main attacking threats, having scored 28 goals in 36 competitive appearances during the 2024-25 season.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Mbappe
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Bono; Tambakti, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi; Cancelo, Kanno, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, S. Al-Dawsari; Malcolm, Mitrovic
EXPERT PREDICTION
Real Madrid 2-1 Al Hilal
