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E-mail Xinhua, December 18, 2024
Real Madrid arrived in Doha just after midnight local time on Tuesday to prepare for Wednesday's Intercontinental Cup final.
Carlo Ancelotti's men will kick off as clear favorites in the Lusail Stadium against Mexican side Pachuca, who had to battle through a quarterfinal against Brazil's Botafogo, before beating Al Ahly of Egypt 6-5 on penalties in Saturday's semifinal after 120 minutes ended goalless.
Salomon Rondon (L) of CF Pachuca vies with Adryelson of Botafogo during the FIFA Intercontinental Cup match between Brazil's Botafogo and Mexico's CF Pachuca in Doha, Qatar on Dec. 11, 2024. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
The big question mark over Real Madrid is if Kylian Mbappe will play on Wednesday night. The French forward suffered a hamstring injury a week ago against Atalanta in the Champions League and missed the 3-3 draw away to Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.
The injury was a setback for Mbappe, who looked to be returning to form after struggling to adapt in his first few months at Real Madrid. He had scored Madrid's opener and was looking dangerous before being forced off the pitch. Despite doubts about Mbappe, he has nevertheless netted 12 goals in all competitions since arriving.
There is little doubt that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would like to showcase his star signing in Doha, but it seems more likely he will start on the bench, with Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham leading the Madrid attack.
Real Madrid's draw away to Rayo highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of its game, with two goals in a five-minute spell cancelling out Rayo's 2-0 lead to show its power in attack.
However, the fact that two of Rayo's goals came from free headers and the last goal arrived when Izi Palazon was allowed to arrive unmarked to prod past Thibaut Courtois also showed that Madrid need to tighten up in defense.
It also showed how much they miss Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, both of whom are out for the season with knee injuries, while Ferland Mendy is also sidelined with a muscle problem.
Eduardo Camavinga is fit, however, and should help provide balance in midfield, with Luka Modric providing the inspiration and Fede Valverde the drive for Madrid to claim its second title of the campaign.
