The FIFA Club World Cup final takes place at Morocco’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Saturday night, with European giants Real Madrid facing off against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
Real Madrid claimed four Club World Cup titles in five years between 2014 and 2018, dominating the competition for half a decade.
🎥🆕 INSIDE TRAINING 🆕🎥💪 Preparing for the Cub World Cup Final! 🏃🔜 #ClubWC pic.twitter.com/KDYpLyW5se— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 9, 2023
🎥🆕 INSIDE TRAINING 🆕🎥💪 Preparing for the Cub World Cup Final! 🏃🔜 #ClubWC pic.twitter.com/KDYpLyW5se
On the flip side, Al Hilal finished fourth in 2019 and 2021 before reaching their first final in 2023. Can the Saudi side upset the odds against Los Blancos?
Real Madrid booked their place in the Club World Cup final with a 4-1 victory over Al Ahly on Wednesday, racking up 62% possession and 19 shots in the process.
Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde scored either side of half time, with stoppage-time strikes from Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas sealing the deal late on.
Back home, Real Madrid find themselves second in La Liga – eight points behind Barcelona – having lost just three of their 20 league matches this season.
Having won five of their previous seven games across all competitions, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be confident of dispatching Al Hilal on Saturday.
As for Al Hilal, they have come through two games to reach the Club World Cup final, reaching the showpiece for the very first time.
After beating Wydad AC on penalties in their opening match, Al Hilal beat Brazilian giants Flamengo 3-2 in the semi-finals, with Salem Aldawsari bagging a brace.
Al Hilal find themselves fourth in the Saudi Pro League – five points behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr – having lost just one of their 15 league games this term.
Despite their impressive record on home soil, Al Hilal are expected to struggle against the might of Real Madrid in Morocco.
Head-to-head: This will be the very first meeting between Real Madrid and Al Hilal, meaning we have no previous results to assess for this fixture.
Team news: Real Madrid are currently without the injured quartet of Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, with Andriy Lunin expected to start between the sticks.
Meanwhile, Al Hilal will be without Yasser Al-Shahrani on Saturday as the left-back continues to recover from a fractured jaw.
Al Hilal are expected to rise to the occasion and put up a fight. However, Real Madrid should be far too strong for the Saudi side.
Forebet predicts that Real Madrid will score over 2.5 goals on their way to defeating Al Hilal, securing their fifth Club World Cup title as a result.