Overview
After being held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the opening match of Group H, Real Madrid faced a difficult challenge from the start of the match against Pachuca. After only the first 7 minutes, they had only 10 players on the field.
Raul Asencio was sent off and Pachuca took advantage of the extra man to attack. Los Blancos must thank Thibaut Courtois for making a total of 10 saves, while Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde's goals brought the maximum points for the Spanish team.
After condemning the discriminatory behavior towards Antonio Rudiger at the end of the match, head coach Xabi Alonso hoped Real Madrid's victory over Pachuca would be the springboard for the next success at the FIFA Club World Cup. They need another victory to ensure a place in the round of 16 and the top spot in Group H.
The scenario for Real Madrid to continue as the second-placed team is to draw with Salzburg without a goal, and at the same time lose by a goal against Al Hilal.
Except for the penalty shootout loss to Mexico side Necaxa in the 2000 third-place match, Real Madrid have never lost a single FIFA Club World Cup match.
They won against Salzburg in their only previous official meeting - a 5-2 victory in the Champions League group stage last season.
After starting their first FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Pachuca, Salzburg missed the opportunity to qualify directly when they were held to a goalless draw by Al-Hilal.
Salzburg can be proud to have won 4 points after two opening matches of the group stage. However, head coach Thomas Letsch declared that his team was "disappointed" after failing to win all.
Salzburg knows they must create a big shock and beat Real Madrid if they want to top Group H. They can still qualify for the round of 16 even if they draw or lose to the La Liga giants, as long as Al-Hilal cannot beat Pachuca.
Salzburg entered this match after winning only 5 out of the previous 24 encounters with Spanish opponents in all competitions (4 draws, 15 losses). However, they will confidently score against Real Madrid's weak defense. They have scored in 16 consecutive matches before the 0-0 draw with Al-Hilal, scoring at least 2 goals in 11 matches.
Expected lineup:
Salzburg: Zawieschitzky, Lainer, Gadou, Ram cur cur, Kratzig, Bidstrup, Diabate, Nene, Gloukh, Onisiwo, Baidoo.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, F. Garcia, Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Valverde, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
The match between Salzburg and Real Madrid takes place at 8:00 a.m. on June 27 (Vietnam time).
