Real Madrid’s quest to win another Club World Cup begins at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday night when they go up against Al-Hilal in Group F.
Having won the trophy for a record-extending fifth time in 2023, the Spanish giants were understandably priced up as the bookmakers’ pre-tournament favourites before a ball was kicked.
After parting company with Carlo Ancelotti following a disappointing domestic campaign, Xabi Alonso has been chosen to usher in a new era at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The former Bayer Leverkusen boss will be keen to hit the ground running when Real Madrid face Al-Hilal in Florida this week.
However, there is plenty of reason to believe that the star-studded Saudi outfit are not at the Club World Cup just to make up the numbers.
While toppling Real Madrid will be a tall order, Simeone Inzaghi’s side undoubtedly have the quality to finish above fellow Group H foes Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos big favourites
With Real Madrid sitting at the head of the outright betting for the tournament, it’s no surprise to see them as heavy 3/10 favourites on Boylesports. That being said, this might not be the cakewalk that the pre-match odds suggest, so the value could lie with backing Real Madrid to win alongside Under 4.5 Goals at 10/11 (Boylesports).
As for Al-Hilal, they will come into their opening game of the competition as big outsiders at 13/2 on Boylesports, while the draw is also considered unlikely at 4/1 with the same firm.
Head to head: Real Madrid seeking repeat
The two teams contested the Club World Cup final in 2023, with Real Madrid running out 5-3 winners. If you fancy history to repeat itself on Wednesday night, then the same scoreline can be backed at a whopping 100/1 on Boylesports.
Players to watch: Mbappe to make his mark?
Having ended his debut season at Real Madrid as La Liga’s top scorer with 31 strikes, Kylian Mbappe should be brimming with confidence. There is little value in backing Mbappe to score here at 1/2, but siding with him to get on the scoresheet alongside a Real Madrid win will bring about an attractive 19/20 Bet Builder on Boylesports.
Al-Hilal have a plethora of attacking options to choose from, spearheaded by Aleksandar Mitrovic, who plundered 19 goals in 23 Saudi Pro League appearances this season. The former Fulham and Newcastle forward looks overpriced for an anytime strike here at 5/2 (Boylesports).
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid’s injury list shows no signs of shrinking, as they come into this game with seven players either ruled out or doubtful. That could see new recruits Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold get the nod on Wednesday night.
New Al-Hilal boss Inzaghi will be unable to call upon the services of injured trio Hamad Al-Yami, Kaio Cesar and Moteb Al-Harbi.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Garcia; Tchouameni, Bellingham, Valverde; Rodrygo,Vinicius, Mpabbe
Al-Hilal: Bono; Cancelo, Al-Bulayhi, Koulibaly, Lodi; Neves, Kanno, Milenkovic-Savic; Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic, Malcom
Anything else catch the eye?
Ruben Neves has never been one to shy away from a tackle, making him a value option to commit two or more fouls at even-money (1/1) on Bet 365.
The combative midfielder received six yellow cards during the recent Saudi Pro League season, committing a minimum of one foul in eight of his final nine appearances of the campaign.
It’s also worth noting that Neves was guilty of two offences during Portugal's recent win over Germany at the semi-final stage of the Nations League.
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