The Club World Cup semifinals will see Real Madrid face a tough match against PSG on Wednesday at 9 p.m. in New York. It will be a litmus test for Xabi Alonso’s team, which is still under construction but has already performed well, growing exponentially in each match of the tournament. They will face Luis Enrique’s side, who have a formidable squad and statistics and are coming off the back of a treble that they are keen to cap off. For such an important match, the Real Madrid coach will be without one of his most important players, Dean Huijsen, but he already has a plan.
Huijsen condemned for a mistake
Dean Huijsen has played every game since his arrival at Real Madrid, offering outstanding performances from the first minute, standing out mainly for his great touch, ball control, and outstanding vision. His great performance is valued by the coach, who nevertheless believes he still has room for improvement. “He is another of the pillars of the team and has shown his personality on the pitch, both with the national team and with us, in matches and on a daily basis. He is a great signing. We have to support him and push him because he has room for improvement. He mustn’t relax. But I’m happy to have Dean with us.”
In defense, apart from a few isolated mistakes, he has been solid and confident until the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, where a mistake at the end of the game proved costly. Dean Huijsen was sent off in the 96th minute for a penalty on Guirassy when the team was leading 3-1. Shortly after Kylian Mbappé’s goal, Borussia launched a lightning attack that ended with the striker making contact with the center back, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Brazilian referee Abatti showed the Madrid player a red card, and he will now miss the game against PSG. After his sending off, Huijsen apologized on Instagram. “Great game by the whole team today. I apologize for getting sent off and not being able to help the team in the next game. Hala Madrid!”
Asencio and a second chance
A red card took Asencio out of the starting lineup in the Club World Cup, and another red card will now bring him back to the team. Raúl Asencio had a great season, but in this Club World Cup, he has made two very serious mistakes that left him out of the starting lineup. However, it now looks like he will return after being chosen by Xabi Alonso to replace Dean Huijsen against PSG.
Two mistakes condemned him. Against Al Hilal, he committed an absurd penalty in the 41st minute and Alonso left him in the locker room for the second half. Against Pachuca, the mistake was even worse, as he was sent off in the 7th minute for grabbing Salomón Rondón. Now he will have a second chance against PSG to prove what kind of player he is and not make another mistake that could cost the team dearly.
He will return to accompany Rüdiger, who is back from injury but still far from the sublime form he showed in previous seasons. The two will play alongside Tchouaméni, who seems unstoppable, combining his defensive duties as a third center back with his creative midfield play.