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Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Juventus | FIFA Club World Cup
Despite falling to an early draw to Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid managed to come out of Group H as the leaders credit to their two wins over Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
Having avoided Manchester City by topping the group, Los Blancos face a relatively easier, albeit still challenging opponent in Juventus in the Round of 16.
Xabi Alonso’s men have looked progressively better in every successive game and there are promising signs early in the new manager’s tenure at the club.
The Italians, however, will still prove to be tricky for the men in white as the two lock horns for a place in the quarterfinal of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Juventus.
The advent of must-win games
The group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup saw Los Blancos pitted against three relatively weaker opponents, as is the same in any tournament following the format and placed them as favourites to make it out.
Having topped the group, they have ensured a favourable tie in the Round of 16 but there is no denying that the stakes are far higher with every successive game at this stage.
Now in the knockout phase of the tournament, every game for the men in white is a must-win. A single missed step will see their campaign come crashing down and it is thus key that Los Blancos stay grounded and committed at every level.
Juventus, in all likelihood, will be Real Madrid’s easiest opponent on their path to a potential title from here on. The Old Lady, after all, have been in disastrous form off late and even lost to Manchester City conceding five goals not too long ago.
While Xabi Alonso will see his team to be the favourites, he must remain wary of the stakes for the team is always in danger of elimination unless they kill the tie early.
Gonzalo Garcia’s chance to maintain steam
Gonzalo Garcia has been Real Madrid’s find of the tournament and has racked up three-goal contributions in three starts so far including one in every game.
In Kylian Mbappe’s absence, the young academy talent has stepped up and earned his place in Xabi Alonso’s plans, but he was expected to return to the bench later tonight, especially with the French superstar back in the squad.
Mbappe missed the Merengues’ opening three games through sickness after his bout of gastroenteritis turned ugly and saw him lose significant weight. He will return to action tonight, but word has it that Alonso will start him on the bench.
The new manager’s decision to phase out Mbappe’s return, needless to say, works out well for Garcia who will have another opportunity to showcase his talent, this time against an elite European opposition.
Poised to start against Juventus, all eyes will be on Garcia to see the impact he can generate in the minutes he has on the field. After all, Mbappe will likely become a full starter in the next game, and this could be the youngster’s last opportunity as a starter for a long time to come.
A long-awaited return
Real Madrid’s game against Juventus will be one to watch out for from the tournament standpoint for one of the two heavyweights will leave the competition on the night. For Los Blancos, however, the game will be special for a second big reason as well.
After all, club legend and veteran defender Dani Carvajal is expected to make his first appearance in over eight months against the Serie A side in what not only comes as a major boost for Alonso but also as a special emotional moment for the Real Madrid faithful.
For years, the veteran right-back carried the department for Real Madrid on his shoulders and last season only brought out a clear picture of how the club would suffer in his absence. With the star defender back, they will have serious stability in the department going forward.
Trent-Alexander Arnold will compete directly for a spot with Carvajal and the Spaniard will likely be phased out over the next year or two.
Nevertheless, watching him in action once again will be a treat for the eyes and one that every Real Madrid fan will be looking forward to.
The festival called the UEFA Champions League returned to the Santiago Bernabeu last night as Los Blancos hosted Inter Milan in their very first game in the competition this season.
Jose Mourinho had massive selection dilemmas in midfield, and eventually opted to start Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Federico Valverde in the absence of Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga.
That experiment did not work out, and Real Madrid consistently lost the midfield battle on the night. Yet, they managed to capitalise on moments of individual brilliance and hold on to a 2-1 win to register their biggest win of the season yet.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan.
Two lucky goals
Real Madrid did not take long to go 2-0 up against Inter Milan last night, but that had more to do with the visitors’ sloppy defence rather than Los Blancos’ brilliance.
The men in white started the game pressing well, but Inter Milan looked very shaky in possession. They made two errors in the first 20 minutes, and Real Madrid capitalised and converted both.
Kylian Mbappe’s opener came off a moment of mayhem between Inter Milan’s defenders where the ball was left in no man’s land. Brahim Diaz pounced on it and played it through to the French forward, who made no mistake.
Minutes later, Federico Valverde directly dispossessed the goalkeeper with his press and deflected the ball into the back of the net, making it 2-0. Those were the only goals Los Blancos scored on the night.
While there is nothing wrong with capitalising on defensive errors and using that to lay the foundation for the win, the fact remains that Real Madrid were largely unimpressive throughout the 90 minutes. Inter Milan committing those errors, needless to say, was lucky for Real Madrid who rode on them to take three points.
Thibaut Courtois saves the day
Despite Real Madrid taking an early lead and even having the home advantage, it was Inter Milan who dominated large parts of the game and kept the lion’s share of possession.
At one point, it looked like Jose Mourinho’s men did not even bother having possession as they sat back and defended, hoping to break on the counter and convert.
That plan, needless to say, led to Inter Milan seeing a lot of the Real Madrid goal and putting serious pressure on the hosts’ defence.
Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Marc Cucurella all had strong games at the back, but in the end, it was Thibaut Courtois who saved the day for Los Blancos.
The Belgian goalkeeper made a staggering seven saves for his side on the night including two from inside the box. Inter Milan’s finishing was indeed poor, but Courtois’ greatness stood out and ensured Real Madrid held on to their tight lead.
If not for the veteran goalkeeper, Mourinho’s men could well be staring at defeat. Their performance, after all, was unimpressive and Inter Milan had some big chances to equalise denied by Courtois.
Three massive points
The team’s performance against Inter Milan was not convincing, and that will be something for Mourinho to dig into and look to improve.
What Real Madrid will be pleased about, however, is taking all three points away from the night, for they are absolutely massive from the point of view of the competition.
Inter Milan represented one of Real Madrid’s biggest challenges in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League alongside Arsenal, and to take three points from one of their two elite opponents is worth its weight in gold.
They still have Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig, LASK Linz, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens to come, and Real Madrid will back themselves against most of the teams in that list.
Taking three points in one of their two most difficult games will go a long way in tying them down to a top-8 finish if they can win the easier clashes while also handing them some leeway for a potential defeat at some stage in the competition.
