The Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, will host Real Madrid this Wednesday for the final of the Intercontinental Club Cup. Scheduled against the Mexicans of Pachuca FC, this clash promises to be exciting for Carlo Ancelotti and his men, who have a good chance of securing their second trophy of the season.
After lifting the UEFA Super Cup last August, Real Madrid will aim for another title this Wednesday. As reigning European champions, the Madrid side will face Pachuca FC of Mexico, who earned their place in the final by defeating Brazil’s Botafogo (3-0) in the quarter-finals and Egypt’s Al Ahly in the semi-finals (0-0 and 6-5 on penalties). Directly qualified for the final of the Intercontinental Club Cup due to their status as European champions, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are expected to rise to the occasion.
Good news for Real Madrid: Pachuca are out of form
Not in the best shape this season, Real Madrid have struggled against strong and technically gifted teams. Apart from Borussia Dortmund, who were overturned at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League in October, teams like Barcelona, AC Milan, and Athletic Bilbao have caused serious headaches for the Madrid side. After another lacklustre performance against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in La Liga (3-3), Vinícius Júnior and his teammates are expected to bounce back convincingly against Pachuca.
Currently 16th in the Mexican league with just 13 points from 17 matches, Real Madrid’s opponents in the final of the Intercontinental Club Cup have been stringing together poor results. While they managed to reach the final by surprisingly knocking out Botafogo, the Mexican side struggled against the Egyptians, eventually scraping through on penalties. With the quality of Real Madrid’s players, everything should go smoothly for the likes of Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham.
In any competition final, Real Madrid rarely falter. Even without Kylian Mbappé, who was injured against Atalanta last week (but is fighting to return and play a few minutes in this final), Carlo Ancelotti’s side have what it takes to get the job done. According to Radio Cope, players such as Vinícius Júnior and Eduardo Camavinga are already tipped to start this match. All in all, the signs look promising for Los Blancos.
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