After losing out in the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid have the chance to stake a claim for another piece of silverware as they begin their campaign in the FIFA Club World Cup. They face Al Ahly in a semi-final fixture on Wednesday and while the Egyptians have been in good form lately, Madrid will be relying on their superior quality.
Al Ahly are the most successful team in Africa and given their success in the CAF Champions League, they are usually regulars in the Club World Cup. However, they are yet to win it, or even make the final, a fact they will be keen to set right this time around.
The Egyptian giants come into this year’s tournament in confident mood as they are once again dominating their domestic league. Marcel Koller’s men look well on course for another Premier League title as they sit six points clear at the top of the standings.
Al Ahly appear to have carried their good form into the Club World Cup as they have won both their matches so far. First they claimed a 3-0 victory over Auckland City before booking their place in Wednesday’s clash with a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders.
Just as they have done in European competition, Real Madrid are the dominant team in the FIFA Club World Cup. They are the most successful team in the competition with four titles to their name, the last of which came in 2018.
Real Madrid do not come into this year’s tournament in the best form having found things slightly difficult. They were recently beaten by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and warmed up for Wednesday’s clash with a 1-0 La Liga defeat to Mallorca last Sunday.
While Real Madrid’s erratic showings will be troubling to manager Carlo Ancelotti, the result at Mallorca was their first defeat in six matches across all competitions. Wins over Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will give them confidence ahead of Wednesday’s clash and they will also be relying on their superior quality and experience in this competition.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/4 with bet365. A victory for Al Ahly is valued at 10/1 by Paddy Power, who are also offering odds of 9/2 for a draw.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Al Ahly and Real Madrid.
Players to watch
Al Ahly have been prolific in attack in recent weeks with Mohamed Sherif and Percy Tau particularly impressive. Both men were on target in the win over Auckland City and could combine to ensure the Egyptians score at least once on Wednesday at 8/11 with Paddy Power.
Real Madrid have also have plenty of attacking quality and generally tend to find the net whenever they play. The likes of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio are likely to heap the pressure right from the start and Los Blancos could be backed to score first at 2/9 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality on display, goals could be expected on Wednesday. Both teams could be backed to score at 19/20 with Unibet while over 3.5 goals could be considered at 13/8 with bet365 while over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/7 with Paddy Power.
Real Madrid are expected to be dominant and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 37/20 with Unibet. That dominance means Los Blancos could also be tipped to score in both halves at 10/11 with Paddy Power.
This Club World Cup match between Al Ahly and Real Madrid will be played on Feb 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Al Ahly vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
