Group H at the Club World Cup continues on Sunday, with Real Madrid hoping to avoid an upset at the hands of Pachuca.
Neither side were able to make winning starts to the campaign. Real Madrid could only draw 1-1 against Al Hilal in an unconvincing opening match under Xabi Alonso. Meanwhile, Pachuca are already in real danger of an early exit after losing 2-1 to Salzburg in Cincinnati.
The expectation will be that Real Madrid improve as this tournament progresses, with Alonso still busy trying to get his ideas across. He handed debuts to Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the opening game. The ex-Liverpool man had a mixed first appearance in the famous white shirt, getting caught out defensively on one occasion, but he also played more passes into the final third than any other Madrid player.
As for Pachuca, they didn’t take much form into the tournament, and are now winless in four games overall. Despite having 17 shots against Salzburg, they were beaten by a 76th-minute winner from Karim Onisiwo. They’ll be eliminated if they also lose this game.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos the clear favourites in Charlotte
Boylesports make Real Madrid the 1/4 favourites to win this match. You can also back the draw at 9/2, while a surprise Pachuca win is on offer at 8/1, a result that would suddenly leave one of the favourites for the competition in danger of suffering an early exit.
Recent head-to-head: Happy memories for Madrid
Unlike many of the fixtures at this tournament, these two sides have met recently, with Real Madrid triumphing 3-0 in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final between the two clubs back in December. Their forwards scored all the goals that day, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe on target.
Players to watch: Garcia to get another opportunity
21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia was the Real Madrid goalscorer in their opening game. The academy graduate looked lively and had six attempts in total in the match, more than any other Madrid player.
With Mbappe still a major fitness doubt after a bout of gastroenteritis, the youngster should lead the line again here, with Vinicius expected to operate off the left once more. You can back Real Madrid to win, Gonzalo Garcia 2+ shots on target and Vinicius 2+ shots on target at 15/4 with Bet365.
Predicted Lineups
Aside from Mbappe, Los Blancos also have major fitness doubts over Endrick, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy.
There are fewer problems for Jaime Lozano, but Pachuca will be without long-term injury absentee Andres Micolta.
Real Madrid: Courtois, F. Garcia, Huijsen, Asencio, Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Tchouameni, Valverde, Vinicius, G. Garcia, Rodrygo.
Pachuca: Moreno, B. Gonzalez, Pereira, Bauermann, L. Rodriguez, Montiel, Pedraza, A. Dominguez, Palavecino, Kenedy, Rondon.
Anything else catch the eye?
Pachuca did ask questions of European opposition in their opening game, with Agustin Palavecino frequently their main attacking threat. The Argentine had four shots against Salzburg, and you can back Palavecino to have over 1.5 shots in this game at 4/5 with Bet365.
In terms of the outcome, this feels like a game that Real Madrid should win comfortably enough if they can raise their level even slightly from the first game. However, they’ve not won a match by more than two goals since beating Brest 3-0 in the Champions League back in January, and there may be value in backing Real Madrid to win by two goals at 3/1 with Boylesports.
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