The moment has arrived. The Club World Cup is progressing and is now at a stage where every game is a matter of life or death. Real Madrid will be playing for a place in the quarter-finals this Tuesday at 9pm against Juventus in Miami. Xabi Alonso’s men want to build on their momentum to secure a victory that will take them one step closer to the final on the 13th. Their potential opponents along the way will not be easy, but they must take it one step at a time, and the first is to beat the Italian side.
Xabi Alonso’s system begins to take shape
Xabi Alonso arrived at Real Madrid with very clear ideas, but little time to implement them. After just a couple of training sessions at Valdebebas, and without a full squad, the Whites arrived in Miami and faced their first match against Al Hilal without having worked with the entire squad, which resulted in a poor performance on the pitch, with more of the same.
Little by little, in the match against Pachuca, there were signs of improvement despite being a man down from the start of the game. The team moved the ball around, controlled the game, and won 3-1 with Courtois outstanding in goal. The culmination of the new Xabi Alonso era came against Salzburg, where the coach opted to try out his preferred 1-5-3-2 formation, and it worked perfectly. The team played as a unit in both attack and defense and looked good and enjoyed themselves. Now they need to build on this.
Return of Mbappé and Militao
For this match, Xabi Alonso will be without Alaba, who is recovering from another injury, and new signing Endrick, who will not be available for the World Cup. Dani Carvajal is also still out. Asencio returns from suspension and Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappé are expected to be included in the squad and could feature.
The center back’s hard work has paid off, and he will be in the squad against Juventus on Tuesday, July 1, at 9 p.m. The plan, agreed between the player, the coaching staff, and the medical services, is for him to even play a few minutes if the match allows it. The same idea applies to Kylian Mbappé, who has now recovered physically after missing the entire group stage due to a gastrointestinal problem that left him physically weakened, but in principle, the idea is for him to start on the bench and get some playing time in the second half.
Possible Real Madrid XI
Goalkeeper
- Thibaut Courtois
Defenders
- Fran García
- Antonio Rudiger
- Dean Huijsen
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders
- Aurélien Tchouaméni
- “Fede” Valverde
- Arda Güler
- Jude Bellingham
Forwards
- Gonzalo García
- Vinicius Jr.
Important absence for Juventus
Juventus will go into the game with a significant injury absence. Nicolò Savona, who started all three Club World Cup games, suffered a severe ankle sprain against City and will miss the rest of the competition. “Diagnostic tests revealed a high-grade capsular ligament injury. The player has begun his rehabilitation process and will be reevaluated in a month,” Juventus explained in a medical report on the center back issued early this morning.
Possible Juventus XI
Goalkeeper: Di Gregorio
Defenders: Kalulu, Djaló, Kelly
Midfielders: Costa, McKennie, Thuram, Cambiasso; Conceição, Yıldız
Forwards: Kolo Muani