Real Madrid Face Al Hilal FIFA Club World Cup Final Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal on Saturday and have the opportunity to win their first trophy of the season. The Spanish side reached the final of the Men’s World Cup after beating Al Ahly 4-1 in the semifinal while the Saudi Arabian team surprisingly won 3-2 against Flamengo. The two teams will meet on Saturday at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, Morocco. Here’s what you need to know:
How to watch and odds
Watch Real Madrid vs Al Hilal live on fuboTV
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah — Rabat, Morocco
TV: FS2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: Real Madrid -410; Draw +490; Al-Hilal +1100(via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Talking points
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke about their opponents that managed to beat Flamengo in the semifinal: Football’s changing because there’re a lot of teams all over the world that can compete, fight and win too. I was surprised that Flamengo were eliminated, but they’re in pre-season and their fitness level isn’t at its peak and the rest of the teams, who are in the middle of the season, are at their peak.
After beating Moroccan side Wydad AC 5-3 on penalties in the second round, Al-Hilal became the first Saudi Arabian side to reach the Club World Cup final. Al-Hilal, 18-time Saudi Pro League champions and rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, are competing at the Club World Cup for the third time and qualified for this year’s tournament as the holders of the AFC Champions League.
Prediction
Considering their current struggles in La Liga, where they’ve dropped five points in their last three matches, Real Madrid can’t miss the opportunity to win this trophy. Pick: Real Madrid 3, Al-Hilal 1.
Real Madrid go in search of a fifth FIFA Club World Cup victory – and a first since 2018 – against Al Hilal in Rabat. Los Blancos dispatched Egyptian side Al Ahly in the semi-finals by four goals to one and head into Saturday’s game with a 100% record in finals in the tournament. The Saudi Arabians, meanwhile, caused an upset in their last-four clash against Flamengo of Brazil to qualify for their first final in their third appearance in the competition.
Real Madrid have been huge favourites to win the tournament from the get-go and are even more heavily fancied now that Flamengo, considered by most to be the next strongest team in the competition, surprisingly lost to Al Hilal in the semi-finals. Were the Spaniards that impressive in their own last-four clash against Al Ahly? The 4-1 scoreline would suggest they were but the reality is that they weren’t. But, as ever, Madrid did what they tend to do and eventually came out on top and you would expect that trend to continue to allow them to lift the FIFA Club World Cup trophy for a fifth time and pocket $5 million.
Al Hilal bidding to become first Asian winners
Al Hilal have seen Al Nassr – and four-goal Cristiano Ronaldo – move to the top of the Saudi Pro League since they arrived in Morocco but they are riding the crest of their own wave after a penalty shootout victory over Wydad Casablanca followed by a surprise win over Brazilians Flamengo, helped by two goals from the penalty spot from winger Salem Al-Dawsari, who also netted twice for Saudi Arabia at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Argentinian striker Luciano Vietto, who once played for Real Madrid’s city rivals Atlético, also scored and will be one to watch here. Al Hilal are bidding to become the first Asian team to ever to win the competition.
