Real Madrid return to play at the Club World Cup against Pachuca on Sunday, two teams on the search for their first win of the competition after less-than-ideal starts to play. Xabi Alonso marked his first match as Real Madrid’s manager with a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal, a surprisingly disappointing start for a new-look version of the team that included Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen in their club debuts. How they will respond to that performance will be worth watching, especially as they enter another match as the odds-on favorites to pick up all three points.
As for Pachuca, they may be battling for survival at the Club World Cup when they face Real Madrid on Sunday. The six-time Concacaf Champions Cup winners started the tournament with a 2-1 loss to RB Salzburg, a match in which they had their chances but did not make the most of them. Teams from North America have had a mixed showing so far at the Club World Cup and though a loss for Pachuca may not necessarily do damage for the confederation’s global reputation, a big question for them will be if they can translate some of their strengths from Wednesday’s game into a decent performance against Real Madrid.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, odds
- Date: Sunday, June 22 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, North Carolina
- TV: TNT | Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
- Odds: Real Madrid -350; Draw +440; Pachuca +800
How they qualified
Real Madrid made the cut after winning the UEFA Champions League in 2022, defeating Liverpool in Paris. As for Pachuca, they qualified by winning the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, defeating MLS’ Columbus Crew in the final.
Predicted lineups
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Fran Garcia, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior
Pachuca: Carlos Moreno, Luis Rodriguez, Eduardo, Federico Pereira, Bryan Gonzalez, Elías Montiel, Pedro Pedraza, Agustin Palavecino, Alexei Dominguez, Salomon Rondon, Kenedy
Will Kylian Mbappe play?
While there has been much to discuss about Alonso’s first match in charge of Real Madrid, one of the biggest storylines in the early days of the team’s Club World Cup run has been about one player who has yet to take part – Kylian Mbappe. The World Cup winner was diagnosed with gastroenteritis last week and admitted to the hospital, and though he has since been released, he will not be playing on Sunday.
Mbappe did not take part in Real Madrid’s training session on Saturday, per USA Today, nor did he travel from the team’s base camp in the Miami suburbs to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Sunday’s match will take place. There is currently no specific timeline on when he will be in the mix, with Real Madrid saying on Thursday that he will “gradually return to team activity.”
Storyline to watch
Room for improvement for Real Madrid: It would be unfair to expect Real Madrid to be firing on all cylinders as a new manager begins to instill a new identity, but even then, Wednesday’s draw with Al-Hilal still came as a surprise. The climate may have something to do with it, with the temperature around 90 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium, but the fact that they were fairly even with Al-Hilal throughout shows that Alonso’s new vision for the team may take some time to take shape. They will be the favorites again on Sunday against Pachuca, so the opportunity is there for the taking, but whether or not Real Madrid can do anything with it is a big question.
Prediction
No one should realistically expect perfection just two games into Alsono’s Real Madrid tenure but they have more than enough to overpower the opposition, so expect them to do just that. Pachuca are no slouch, though, so the margin of victory may be tight. Pick: Real Madrid 2, Pachuca 1
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