After their 5-0 win against Sevilla on Saturday, Real Madrid heads out to compete in the 14th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament.
What is the Club World Cup?
The FIFA Club World Cup is the third form of a competition that has been on the footballing calendar since the 1960s. It was originally known as the Intercontinental Cup and saw the Copa Libertadores (South America Champions League) winner play the European Cup winners. In 2000, FIFA introduced the FIFA Club World Cup which initially struggled with internal problems.
The tournament in its current form has been held since 2005, when it was merged with the Intercontinental Cup. It is hosted by a different country every year with The United Arab Emirates this year’s host. Real Madrid are the current champions, winning their second title last year in Japan.
FCBarcelona are the most successful club with 3 titles.
Why should I watch it?
Since the Club World Cup is competed by the five Champions League winners in their respective FIFA confederation, The Club World Cup offers football fans the chance to see some of the best teams outside of Europe.
From a purely Madridismo perspective, Los Blancos could break a few records in Abu Dhabi this year. Madrid is already the first World Champions ever to have a chance of retaining their crown. If they do defend their title, they will go level with Barca as the most successful club in the history of the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo will also be eying some personal records. Himself and Toni Kroos could become the first players to win four Club World Cup titles. Ronaldo could also become the competition’s outright top scorer as he is tied on five goals with a number of other players including Lionel Messi.
If I still haven’t convinced you, it’s simply a chance to watch extra Real Madrid games this season.
When do Madrid play?
As European champions, Real Madrid is given a bye to the semifinals. They will face Al-Jazira, who overcame Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
The semi-final will take place on Wednesday 13th December at 21:00 local time (17:00 GMT, 12:00 UTC) and the competition showpiece kicking off at the same time on Saturday.
Real Madrid enters the tournament as obvious favorites, but, will know full well this tournament can throw up a few challenges with last year’s final going to extra time, Madrid prevailing 4-2 winners, thanks to a Ronaldo hat-trick.
Who is in the squad?
Goalkeepers: Keylor, Casilla, Moha.
Defenders: Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Theo, Achraf,
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Lucas Vázquez, Marcos Llorente, Asensio, Isco, Kovacic, Ceballos.
Attackers: Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Mayoral.
Zidane has brought all his stars to Abu Dhabi, although both Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane are question marks with both players struggling with injuries. Bale’s replacement is less obvious, but, should Varane miss the tournament, Vallejo will likely be called to the fold after missing out initially.
How can I watch it?
BT Sports in the UK and Fubo TV in the US will both cover the Fifa Club World Cup. If you don’t have these sports channels, then do not fear as The Real Champs Twitter page will have live match updates and plenty of match day coverage and reactions on the site.
Next: Real Madrid’s potential opponents in the Champions League round of 16
Make sure to follow The Real Champs on Twitter and Facebook to stay tuned for more Real Madrid news
Add us as a preferred source on Google