Real Madrid News
Venue finalised for Real Madrid’s Intercontinental Cup Final clash in December
The inaugural edition of the newly-minted FIFA Intercontinental Cup will begin on September 22, with the competition set to feature a total of five matches.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is set to replace the FIFA Club World Cup, which will held once every four years featuring 32 teams from across the globe.
Doha to host Intercontinental Cup final
As reported by Arancha Rodriguez, Doha is all set to host the Intercontinental Cup Final. FIFA recognises the Qatar capital as the neutral venue in this competition.
Real Madrid will directly participate in the final, by virtue of being the European champions. The match will be played on December 18 and Doha has been finalised as the venue.
Real Madrid won the Champions League for a record 15th time last season by beating Borussia Dortmund in the final.
As a result, the club have secured direct entry to the final and will not have to go through the qualifying or playoff rounds.
For now, the competition will begin on Friday, with AFC Champions League winner Al Ain all set to take on OFC Champions League winners Auckland City.
The victors will take on CAF Champions League winners Al Ahli in Cairo on October 29.
The action then shifts to Doha, where 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores winners play CONCACAF champions Pachuca – a game titled the “The Derby of the Americas”.
The winners of these two games will then play each in the Challenger Cup three days later to earn a spot in the final against Real Madrid.
Fair to say, the new Intercontinental Cup could ease the burden on Real Madrid or any European champions, as it only requires them to play just one match, as opposed to playing multiple matches in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
