Real Madrid v Juventus: Back Vinicius Junior to lead the way to quarters | OneFootball

The Club World Cup has reached the knockout phase

After making a profit from Bayern's win over Flamengo, Kevin Hatchard is back to preview Real Madrid's clash with Juventus, and he believes the Spanish giants will progress.

Tuesday 01 July, 20:00Live on DAZN

Things taking shape in Xabi Alonso's quiet revolution

The use of three centre-backs. The use of an inverted wing-back to boost the attack. The promotion of a young forward that no-one expected to blossom. Alonso-ball has begun at Real Madrid.

It hasn't taken former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso long to leave his tactical imprint on Real Madrid, and the 3-0 dismissal of Salzburg last time out bore a lot of the hallmarks of the Basque coach. The use of three centre-backs was a key tenet of his approach in the Rhineland, and with Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and Aurelien Tchouameni he had a nice blend of silk and steel.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is used to interpreting the full-back role in an attacking way for Jürgen Klopp and Arne Slot at Liverpool, and now he'll do it for Xabi Alonso, who made Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong some of the most attack-minded wing-backs in Europe. As for 21-year-old forward Gonzalo Garcia, he has been empowered by the coach in Kylian Mbappé's illness-enforced absence, and now looks set to play a part in the squad this season.

Real Madrid haven't been perfect at this tournament, but there are signs that things are coming together. A solid 1-1 draw with a dangerous Al Hilal was followed by a battling win over Pachuca (Madrid played most of the game with ten men after an early red card for Raul Asencio), and then the beating of Salzburg was the best performance so far.

Mbappé is thought to have recovered from his debilitating bout of gastroenteritis, and could be on the bench for this one. Rüdiger should be fit after suffering with cramp last time out, but David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Endrick and Eduardo Camavinga are all still likely to miss out.

Juventus must bounce back from Orlando humiliation

Juventus' 5-2 hammering at the hands of Manchester City last week wasn't just a sobering defeat, it was a footballing evisceration. Admittedly, Juve coach Igor Tudor rotated his team heavily, but City's domination was so complete that it is bound to have had a psychological effect. For example, promising right-back Alberto Costa must still be having nightmares about Jeremy Doku running at him.

It had all been going so well for a Juve in team that's in need of a lift after a disappointing season. The Thiago Motta experiment was deemed a failure, with the former Bologna coach ditched before he could complete his first season. The more prosaic Igor Tudor got the team into the Champions League on the final day of the season, and has been rewarded with the job on a permanent basis.

Juventus' destruction at Manchester City's hands highlighted not only the financial gulf between the clubs, but between the leagues. City's latest transfer spree has given them frightening squad depth, while Juventus are hoping in the short and medium term that their NextGen youth system provides enough talent to either boost the squad or raise funds.

There have also been positive things at this tournament for the Bianconeri. They swept aside Al Ain (5-0) and Wydad (4-1), and Turkish international forward Kenan Yildiz looked great in both games. He was only used as a sub against City, and in a cause that had already been lost.

Khephren Thuram, Francisco Conceicao, Randal Kolo Muani, Andrea Cambiaso and Yildiz could all return here, with Tudor set to field his strongest available XI.

Madrid to make it to last eight

We can back Real Madrid to win and Over 1.5 Goals here at 10/11 on the Sportsbook, and that seems a generous price. It's early in Xabi Alonso's reign, but his players already seem comfortable with what he's trying to do tactically, and this is a team that's fully motivated after spending a season coming second to Barcelona in every domestic competition.

Juventus showed their limitations against Manchester City, and I don't believe they are good enough defensively to keep Real Madrid's superstars at bay.

Vinicius can step up now that the heat is on

Brazilian superstar Vinicius Junior has been making more positive noises about extending his stay with Real Madrid recently, and he was a dominant force against Salzburg, scoring a goal and making a goal. He produced 11 goals and eight assists in La Liga, and was involved in ten Champions League goals, scoring eight of them himself.

Vini Jr's skill and speed make him a great fit for Xabi Alonso's football, and he could wreak havoc here against a Juventus team that couldn't contain either Jeremy Doku or Savinho against City.

We can back Vinicius to score or assist here at evens, and that seems a sensible play, as he seems to have shaken off his late-season slump. You can boost the price to 9/5 by also backing him to be fouled twice on the Bet Builder. Doku was fouled twice by a bamboozled Juventus, and Vinicius Junior has been fouled twice in seven of his last nine starts for Real Madrid.

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