Real Madrid and Pachuca meet in Qatar on Wednesday in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, a tournament in its first year as a rebranded version of the former FIFA Club World Cup. The defending champions are Manchester City, who defeated Flamengo last December. This year, the winners of La Liga and UEFA Champions League can retain the European title with a win.
Real are unbeaten in three games since losing to Athletic Club and are now back in La Liga and the UCL after a crucial win over Atalanta. However, there was a draw against Rayo Vallecano. However, it was the sixth time Carlo Ancelotti's men dropped points this season after a sluggish start. They also travel to Qatar with Kylian Mbappe injured as he continues to struggle to settle in at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Tuzos had to finish the Liga MX season poorly with just one win in their last eight games, meaning they finished in 16th place out of 18 clubs. This is the Mexican club's first meeting with Real, but the two will meet again after being drawn alongside Al-Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg in Group H of the Club World Cup next summer.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the game and more:
How to watch and ratings
- Date: Wednesday December 18th | Time: 12 p.m. (noon) ET
- Location: Lusail Iconic Stadium – Lusail, Qatar
- Regard: beIN Sport | Electricity: Fubo (try for free)
- Opportunities: Real -550; Draw +480; Pachuca +900
How they got here
Thanks to their victory over Borussia Dortmund last season, Real are Champions League winners, while Pachuca's journey has taken longer. The Mexicans have already beaten the continental champions to face Los Blancos in Qatar, with Botafogo and Al Ahly eliminated en route to this showdown.
Team news
Real: Mbappe will at least travel, but Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are both out, while David Alaba was not called up despite training. Ferland Mendy is also missing, but otherwise Real's squad for this game is pretty strong.
Possible real eleven: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rüdiger, Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Pachuca: Andres Micolta has returned from injury and is in strong form, so he should start here. However, the Tuzos are missing the injured Israel Luna, who has been out since his first injury in April.
Possible Pachuca XI: Moreno; Rodriguez, Cabral, Micolta, Gonzalez; Montiel, Pedraza, Deossa, Bautista, Idrissi; Rondon.
forecast
Expect this to be pretty easy for Real and for the European kings to win by a few clear goals against the Mexicans. Choose: Real 3, Pachuca 0.
