Real Madrid vs Pachuca: Three key battles to keep an eye on | OneFootball

Real Madrid have the opportunity to win their first title of the 2024-25 season tonight as they face the Mexican side CF Pachuca in the final of the Intercontinental Cup. Being the Champions of Europe, the Merengues got a direct qualification to the final and did not have to play any other matches in the competition.

There is no doubt that Los Blancos have the better team on paper, but this game being a final, both the sides will be ready to give their all to get a win.

However, there will still be three key battles to keep an eye on in this game:

Federico Valverde vs Nelson Deossa

Valverde will be coming into this match in the best of spirits as although he was unable to help his team to a win in their last game, he still scored a screamer from a long way out.

As has been the case for some years now, he is once again a key part of the team for Real Madrid, and his presence on the pitch will provide Ancelotti’s midfield with a lot of energy and leadership, as well as an outlet who can drive the ball from Real Madrid’s half to the opposition box.

However, he will be facing another in-form midfielder as Nelson Deossa will be looking to compete with Valverde to retain control of the midfield. The Colombian has been a regular starter for the Mexican side and has already scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in 16 Liga MX appearances so far this season.

His ability to put in dangerous long balls for the forward line to take advantage of will be one of the key strengths for Pachuca, and Valverde will be tasked to neutralise this threat tonight.

Kylian Mbappe vs Sergio Barreto

Kylian Mbappe was unable to participate in the last game against Rayo Vallecano after having been subbed out in the first half in the Atalanta game due to a physical issue. However, he is in the Real Madrid squad for this game, and there are several reasons to hope that he will be particularly looking forward to this game.

For instance, he has been rather slow to get going since joining Real Madrid, and he showed some promising signs in the game against Atalanta before being subbed out. Thus, he will be looking to continue that strong performance in this game and get his second trophy with the Merengues after winning the UEFA Super Cup.

Similarly, Kylian Mbappe has some unfinished business in the venue for tonight’s game, the Lusail Stadium, as it was here that he lost the FIFA 2022 World Cup final to Argentina, despite scoring a hat-trick in that game. Thus, he will be looking to eliminate his past ghosts and get a small compensation for that loss.

However, this will not really be easy for him as there will be quite a competent defender facing him in this game, Sergio Barreto. To make things even more interesting, the Pachuca defender is also Argentinian. He particularly shines with his positioning and ability to win ground duels, and thus his battle with Mbappe in this game will definitely be one to keep an eye on.

Salomon Rondon vs Antonio Rudiger

The Venezuelan veteran will definitely be the most important player for Pachuca in this game as he is one of their players who has faced sides as good as Real Madrid during the peak of his career. His experience will be vital for the Mexicans, while his goalscoring ability also remains as good as always, as he has scored 26 times since joining Pachuca last January.

But at 35 years of age, he will definitely not have the same energy and power of his youth, and Antonio Rudiger will be looking to take full advantage of this fact. The German himself has not been at his best for the last few games, but he is almost certain to step up for this final, as he has provided ample evidence of him being a player for the big games.