Tonight at 22:00hrs East African Time, UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid will play Asian Champions League winners Al Hilal at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
If Real Madrid win, they will extend the record of most Club World Cup trophies to five and if Al Hilal win, it will be their first such triumph. This is already Al Hilal’s first time reaching the Club World Cup final.
Madrid have won the most games (10) and scored the most goals (32) in Club World Cup history. Their manager Carlo Ancelotti is also looking to equal Pep Guardiola’s record of three Club World Cup final wins if his men do the job tonight.
On the other side, Al Hilal SFC aim for a better performance in this competition compared to their previous two appearances at the tournament where they finished fourth both in 2019 and 2021.
Despite sitting 4th in the Saudi Pro League table, the club is on a good run as they have only lost just twice in 19 matches in all competitions this season.
During a press conference at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium yesterday, Ancelotti noted that playing Al Hilal poses a massive challenge.
“They’ve got a lot of players in the Saudi national team, who did well in the World Cup. It’s a massive challenge. We’re very close to winning a trophy that’s really important to us. It’s been extremely difficult to get here and we’ve made a lot of sacrifices.
“This is a day of excitement and desire. I urge the team to enjoy this match and to do their best. We’re well up for it and want to win, as always,” Ancelotti said, as quoted by the Real Madrid official website.
Team news
Real Madrid will be without injured players Ferland Mendy (hamstring), Eden Hazard (muscle) and Lucas Vazquez (ankle). Team captain Karim Benzema (hamstring), defender Eder Militao (groin) and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (muscle) who all missed the semi-final win against Al Ahly on Wednesday are all doubtful for this match.
For Al Hilal, winger Andre Carrillo will be assessed ahead of the match but Mohamed Kanno is available for selection after serving a one-match suspension.
