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RB Salzburg vs Real Madrid: Club World Cup
Red Bull Salzburg and Real Madrid meet in a high-stakes Group H decider at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday, with both sides aiming to confirm their places in the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup. Each team has collected four points from their opening two fixtures, but it’s Real Madrid who currently top the group on goal difference.
by Berba
Real Madrid responded to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in their tournament opener by producing a clinical 3-0 victory over Pachuca last time out, despite playing almost the entire match with ten men after Raul Asencio’s early dismissal. Goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde, coupled with a standout performance from Thibaut Courtois in goal, helped Los Blancos overcome a shaky start and put themselves in a strong position heading into the final group game.
Under new manager Xabi Alonso, Madrid are looking to maintain their unbeaten record in Club World Cup competition — their only blemish at the tournament remains a penalty shootout defeat to Necaxa in the 2000 third-place playoff. They also hold a psychological edge over Friday’s opponents, having defeated Salzburg 5-2 in the Champions League group stage earlier this season.
Red Bull Salzburg began their Club World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Pachuca but were unable to carry that momentum into their second outing, held to a goalless draw by Al-Hilal in Washington. While Salzburg still sit in a qualifying position, head coach Thomas Letsch admitted his side were left disappointed after failing to secure early progression.
Salzburg will need to defeat Real Madrid to finish top of the group, although a point or even a defeat could be enough to advance, depending on the outcome of Al-Hilal’s match with Pachuca. History is not on the Austrian club’s side — they’ve won just five of their 24 matches against Spanish opposition in all competitions (D4 L15). However, Salzburg had scored in 16 consecutive games prior to the Al-Hilal draw and have shown enough attacking intent to believe they can trouble Madrid’s defence, which has conceded in both of its Club World Cup outings so far.
Injury News
Real Madrid continue to navigate several injury concerns. Raul Asencio is suspended after his red card against Pachuca. Defender Antonio Rudiger remains under observation following reports of abuse in the previous match, while other key players such as Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are recovering from injuries and may not be risked.
Salzburg enter the match with a relatively healthy squad, though Letsch may consider squad rotation given the short turnaround and the physical demands of the tournament.