Actual Madrid return to play on the Membership World Cup in opposition to Pachuca on Sunday, two groups on the seek for their first win of the competitors after less-than-ideal begins to play. Xabi Alonso marked his first match as Actual Madrid’s supervisor with a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal, a surprisingly disappointing begin for a new-look model of the workforce that included Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen of their membership debuts. How they are going to reply to that efficiency will likely be value watching, particularly as they enter one other match because the odds-on favorites to select up all three factors.
As for Pachuca, they could be battling for survival on the Membership World Cup once they face Actual Madrid on Sunday. The six-time Concacaf Champions Cup winners began the event with a 2-1 loss to RB Salzburg, a match by which that they had their probabilities however didn’t benefit from them. Groups from North America have had a blended exhibiting to this point on the Membership World Cup and although a loss for Pachuca might not essentially do injury for the confederation’s world fame, a giant query for them will likely be if they will translate a few of their strengths from Wednesday’s recreation into a good efficiency in opposition to Actual Madrid.
Here is what you could know earlier than tuning in.
watch Actual Madrid vs. Pachuca, odds
- Date: Sunday, June 22 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Financial institution of America Stadium — Charlotte, North Carolina
- TV: TNT | Dwell stream: Watch on DAZN (at no cost)
- Odds: Actual Madrid -350; Draw +440; Pachuca +800
How they certified
Actual Madrid made the minimize after successful the UEFA Champions League in 2022, defeating Liverpool in Paris. As for Pachuca, they certified by successful the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, defeating MLS’ Columbus Crew within the closing.
Predicted lineups
Actual Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Fran Garcia, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior
Pachuca: Carlos Moreno, Luis Rodriguez, Eduardo, Federico Pereira, Bryan Gonzalez, Elías Montiel, Pedro Pedraza, Agustin Palavecino, Alexei Dominguez, Salomon Rondon, Kenedy
Will Kylian Mbappe play?
Whereas there was a lot to debate about Alonso’s first match answerable for Actual Madrid, one of many greatest storylines within the early days of the workforce’s Membership World Cup run has been about one participant who has but to participate – Kylian Mbappe. The World Cup winner was diagnosed with gastroenteritis last week and admitted to the hospital, and although he has since been launched, he won’t be enjoying on Sunday.
Mbappe didn’t participate in Actual Madrid’s coaching session on Saturday, per USA Today, nor did he journey from the workforce’s base camp within the Miami suburbs to Charlotte, North Carolina, the place Sunday’s match will happen. There’s at the moment no particular timeline on when he will likely be within the combine, with Actual Madrid saying on Thursday that he’ll “step by step return to workforce exercise.”
Storyline to observe
Room for enchancment for Actual Madrid: It will be unfair to count on Actual Madrid to be firing on all cylinders as a brand new supervisor begins to instill a brand new identification, however even then, Wednesday’s draw with Al-Hilal nonetheless got here as a shock. The local weather might have one thing to do with it, with the temperature round 90 levels Fahrenheit at kickoff at Arduous Rock Stadium, however the truth that they had been pretty even with Al-Hilal all through reveals that Alonso’s new imaginative and prescient for the workforce might take a while to take form. They would be the favorites once more on Sunday in opposition to Pachuca, so the chance is there for the taking, however whether or not or not Actual Madrid can do something with it’s a huge query.
Prediction
Nobody ought to realistically count on perfection simply two video games into Alsono’s Actual Madrid tenure however they’ve greater than sufficient to overpower the opposition, so count on them to do exactly that. Pachuca are not any slouch, although, so the margin of victory could also be tight. Choose: Actual Madrid 2, Pachuca 1
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