Real Madrid vs Al Hilal: Match preview & live streaming info | OneFootball

The Xabi Alonso era kicks off at the Hard Rock Stadium today, as Real Madrid are set to face Al-Hilal in their first fixture of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

According to the new format, the Club World Cup will now take place every 4 years, with Real Madrid beginning as favourites for this edition of the tournament, along with newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

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It is the dawn of a new era at Real Madrid, following some new additions to the star-studded squad and a new manager at the helm in Xabi Alonso. The signings of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen have boosted Real Madrid’s defense, and they are expected to slot into the lineup and make their debut against the Saudi side.

Dean Huijsen, in particular, is seen as the future due to his ability to play with both feet and seems confident in his ball-playing ability – something which will prove to be quite crucial under Xabi’s new system.

It remains to be seen whether the new manager begins with a three-man defence like he did at Bayer Leverkusen, as he kept his cards close to his chest and did not reveal much in the pre-match press conference.

Speed and pressing were highly focused on in Xabi Alonso’s recent training session as the coach wants the Spaniards to play smooth football, with or without the ball at their feet.

He is spoilt for choice in the midfield and was seen giving instructions to Arda Guler in the training session a couple of days ago. The Turk can play a similar role to what Florian Wirtz played at Leverkusen.

Moreover, after much speculation, Rodrygo is set to have an important role in Xabi’s system and has chosen to stay at the club, amid links to Premier League clubs.

As regards the attacking line, Kylian Mbappe was down with a fever and is in doubt for today’s fixture, with the Brazilian duo of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo taking the field in the Frenchman’s absence.

On the other hand, Al-Hilal is not here to be mere pushovers, as was seen when they appointed two-time UCL finalist Simone Inzaghi as their manager.

In Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Saudi side boasts an experienced striker who was the club’s highest goal scorer and Saudi Pro League’s 4th highest scorer with 19 goals in 23 matches.

But their goal scoring was not just limited to Mitrovic as the side scored a staggering 95 goals in 34 matches in the league this season, averaging 2.8 per game.

Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic form the three-man midfield of Al-Hilal, with the duo having ample experience playing in such tournaments in Europe.

Kalidou Koulibaly, Joao Cancelo, Renan Lodi in defense, and Bono in between the sticks means Real Madrid may not find it easy to trespass this backline.

However, the Merengues will not solely rely on Vinicius or Rodrygo, because Jude Bellingham, Guler, and Fede Valverde know how to break down a solid defense and wreak havoc.

Real Madrid will hope to kick off a promising new era under Xabi Alonso in style with a win over a strong Al-Hilal side in Miami.