In a scintillating 2022 Club World Cup final rematch, Real Madrid and Al-Hilal start Group H with a sizzler — and Los Blancos, the most successful team in the competition’s history, will come out with something to prove.
Here’s the Sporting Base’s guide and insights for this all-important Group H match-up.
How to watch
- When: Thursday, 5AM (AEST)
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
- Watch Every Game Free On DAZN By Clicking Here
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Expected lineups
- Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Garcia, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
- Al-Hilal (3-5-2): Bono, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi, Cancelo, Kanno, Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, S. Al-Dawsari, Malcom, Mitrovic
Real Madrid vs. Al-Hilal prediction
This matchup shapes as particularly interesting considering both Real Madrid and Al-Hilal are heading into new eras in the mid-2020s with new gaffers at the helm in ex-Los Blancos star Xabi Alonso and Simone Inzaghi, respectively.
Alonso will get off to the better start in his tenure, this Sporting Base writer suspects.
It all comes down to the starpower in the locker room; while each team will slowly be acclimatising to the new managers and several new signings – like Trent Alexander-Arnold for Madrid – there’s every chance things just come down to raw class. When you look over Madrid’s XI with Mbappe, Courtois, Valverde, Vinicius, and more, there’s a clear divide.
Last time out, when the pair played each other in the 2022 Club World Cup final, Al-Hilal did manage three goals against Real Madrid (though they went on to lose 5-3), but things have changed so much for the two domestic titans that that’s ancient history.
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That’s not to say Al-Hilal doesn’t have the firepower to ruffle Madrid’s feathers. It was pre-Inzaghi, but the Saudi Pro League heavyweights scored nearly 100 times in 34 matches last season. Aleksandar Mitrovic, especially, is lethal up front, and Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 change should only give him more chances to get in behind Madrid’s defence.
This time, though, it won’t be enough – especially with Alonso’s focus on control.
- Our prediction: Real Madrid 4–0 Al-Hilal
- Goalscorer tip: Vinicius
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