Real Madrid Expected XI For Intercontinental Cup Final Vs. Pachuca

Real Madrid face a number of injury absences to their side to take on Pachuca.

Qatar and the Lusail Stadium will play host on Wednesday evening as Real Madrid seek their first title in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in its debut year in existence. Los Blancos have qualified directly for the final as UEFA Champions League winners, and will now take on Mexican side Pachuca.

Pachuca won the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup to qualify for the competition and have since seen off Brazilian side Botafogo and Egyptian team Al Ahly on penalties in the semi-final to qualify for this fixture. It will be the first time Real Madrid and Pachuca meet in competitive action.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has several selection choices to make regarding his team after their 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday night, but he is expected to bring Vinícius Júnior back into the line-up after resting him for the La Liga game at the weekend. The Brazilian will be suspended for Sunday's fixture against Sevilla, so this will likely be his only remaining appearance of the calendar year.

That could allow the Italian to field a 4-4-2 system similar to the one which he deployed for much of 2023/24, with Jude Bellingham operating between Vinícius and Rodrygo Goes almost like a false nine at times.

Real Madrid have counted on the bonus of travelling with Kylian Mbappé, who has overcome a thigh muscle strain and hopes to be in contention. Everything indicates that he will not be risked from the start of the game, but could be given a chance off the bench if Real Madrid need attacking firepower.

Unfortunately for Los Blancos, Ferland Mendy has not quite recovered in time and will not travel to Qatar with the rest of the squad, as he instead focuses his recovery on aiming to be back in action for the game against Sevilla at the weekend, Real Madrid's last fixture of 2024.

Elsewhere, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Éder Militão have all suffered long-term knee injuries and are unavailable as they have been for several months.

Real Madrid's expected lineup vs Pachuca (4-4-2): Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Aurélien Tchouameni, Antonio Rüdiger, Fran García; Luka Modrić, Federico Valverde, Arda Güler; Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Júnior.

Defensively, Ancelotti will continue to keep the faith with Lucas Vázquez at right-back and to prefer Aurélien Tchouameni in central defence alongside Antonio Rüdiger. With Mendy also out, Fran García will continue at left-back.

In attack, Kylian Mbappé will likely be kept on the bench and used only in case of emergency despite his inclusion in the squad, while Brahim Díaz is also set to miss out with Arda Güler having impressed in recent weeks.

Among the squad traveling to Doha, Real Madrid also included five players from Castilla, the club's reserve team. One, Raúl Asencio, is a familiar face after his recent run in the team, but goalkeeper Fran González, left-back Youssef Enriquez, central defender Lorenzo Aguado and attacker Víctor Muñoz are still waiting for first-team debuts. Gonzalo García, a versatile attacker for Castilla, has also been included and made his debut last season.