The winners of this contest will play Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the title-decider on Saturday, while the losers will face Flamengo in the third-place playoff.
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Real Madrid will begin their quest for a fifth Club World Cup title when they take on Egyptian outfit Al Ahly in a semi-final clash at the Princy Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco on Wednesday night. The winners of this contest will play Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the title-decider on Saturday, while the losers will face Flamengo in the third-place playoff. The La Liga giants are heading into the match on the back of a 1-0 league-defeat over Mallorca on Saturday, while Al Ahly navigated their way past Auckland City and Seattle Sounders in the previous two rounds of the tournament.
👊 ¡A POR EL PASE A LA FINAL!
⏰ 20:00 CET#ClubWC pic.twitter.com/tpDb4bAjDa— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 8, 2023
The Red Devils thrashed Auckland City 3-0 in the first round of the competition, before edging past Seattle Sounders 1-0 in the previous round. Mohamed Magdy’s 88th-minute goal helped Al Ahly get the better of the Major League Soccer side. Marcel Koller’s side are currently sitting at the summit of the Egyptian Premier League standings, having collected 37 points from 15 games, three clear of second-placed Pyramids, who have played two matches more. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 23 games across all competitions, while winning their last five matches. This will be their third successive participation in the semi-final stage of the competition.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, last lifted the trophy in 2018, defeating Al Ain 2-1 in the final in UAE. The reigning Champions League winners will be regarded as favourites to clinch their fifth world title this year, but the Los Blancos are heading into the match on the back of a defeat. Carlos Ancelotti’s side lost to Mallorca in the league, courtesy of Nacho Fernandez’s own goal inside the opening 13 minutes. Although Marco Asensio was presented with an opportunity to level the score from the penalty spot, on the hour mark, the Spaniard was denied by Predrag Rajkovic. Mallorca held on to the slender lead and handed Real Madrid their third league-defeat of the campaign.
Read more: Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal: Twitter reacts as Saudi outfit reach the final of Club World Cup
Al Ahly’s injury list consists of Mostafa Shobeir, Karim Fouad and Akram Tawfik. Meanwhile, their strength has been the defence, which hasn’t conceded a single goal in the last four outings. Therefore, the back-four of Mohamed Hany, Mahmoud Metwaly, Mohamed Abdelmonem and Ali Maaloul is expected to remain intact. As for Real Madrid, talismanic striker Karim Benzema is out with a hamstring injury, joining the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard and Lucas Cazquez in the treatment room. Therefore Rodrygo could spearhead the attack, with Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr. in support.
Al-Ahly Probable line-up: SEl Shenawy, Hany, Metwalli, Abdelmonem, Maaloul, Fathi, Dieng, El Solia, Tau, Sherif, Abdel Kader
Real Madrid probable line-up: Lunin, Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Alaba, Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric, Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr
Al Ahly
| Opponents | Score |
| Seattle Sounders | 0-1 (W) |
| Auckland City | 3-0 (W) |
| National Bank Egypt | 1-0 (W) |
| Zamalek | 0-3 (W) |
| Smouha | 3-1 (W) |
Real Madrid
| Opponents | Score |
| Mallorca | 1-0 (L) |
| Valencia | 2-0 (W) |
| Real Sociedad | 0-0 (D) |
| Atletico Madrid | 3-1 (W) |
| Athletic bilbao | 0-2 (W) |
The Club World Cup match between Al-ahly and Real Madrid will take place at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Thursday at 12:30 am IST.
| Al Ahly vs Real Madrid | Key Details |
| Date | February 8 (Morocco) |
| Venue | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Morocco | 8:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| kickoff time in Spain | 8:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Egypt | 9:00 pm (Wednesday) |
The live telecast of the Club World Cup match between Al Ahly and Real Madrid can be seen on Mitele Plus and Telecinco Espana in Spain. Meanwhile, those in Egypt can catch the live action via On Time Sports.
