Home
+
Published : 01 Jul 2025, 07:48 PM
Real Madrid’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, is heading towards what he considers to be just “a very important match” when they face Italian giants Juventus in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC).
The Italian side, managed by Igor Tudor, have scored 11 times while only losing to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the competition.
The high-voltage encounter will kick off at the Hard Rock Stadium at 1am Bangladesh time on Wednesday. This will be the first clash between the European giants after facing off against each other at the quarterfinal of the Champions League in 2018.
The 2024-2025 season has been woeful for both of the teams, prompting the clubs to bring about changes to their managerial positions.
The CWC offers them a last shot at silverware in a trophyless season.
After being asked whether this game is his first test in the pre-match conference, Alonso, as quoted by Managing Madrid, said, “No. It’s a very different match because it’s decisive, and this competition is very big. But no. It’s just a very important match.”
Alonso is still trying to figure out the best possible formation for the Los Blancos as he has been interchanging between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2, the latter being the formation he used during his time at Bayer Leverkusen.
With Kylian Mbappe likely to return from his injury, it's likely that the Frenchman will start as a left winger, making space for the young star Gonzalo Garcia down the middle.
Juventus are seeking to bounce back from a crushing 2-5 defeat against Man City in their last match of the group stage.
Tudor may choose to switch up his starting eleven to keep their campaign alive as Kenan Yildiz, the topscorer for the Old Ladies at the tournament with 3 goals, is available for selection, alongside Dusan Vlahovic.
For Vlahovic, this might be his last match representing the black and whites, as he is yet to renew his contract.
The winner of this match will be facing either Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund or Mexican side Monterrey in the quarters on Jul 6.
