🔊 Will Real Madrid once again make their fans sweat? In the final round of the Club World Cup group stage, the "Royal Club" face Salzburg. A draw is enough for them to advance to the playoffs, while a win guarantees them the top spot in the group. Red Bull have accumulated the same number of points but suffer from a worse goal difference, making their situation more challenging. However, both "Los Blancos" and the "Bulls" can advance together if they draw 2-2 or higher. The same outcome will occur if Al-Hilal lose in the parallel match, rendering tiebreakers irrelevant. In our prediction, we'll discuss which scenario is most likely.

Head-to-Head

📊 Many teams at the Club World Cup lack a history of head-to-head encounters, but that's not the case for Real Madrid and Salzburg. Their first official meeting took place in January of this year. The "Los Blancos" left no room for the "Red Bulls" in a Champions League group stage match, delighting the Santiago Bernabéu with a resounding 5-1 victory. Three players each contributed significantly: Rodrygo and Vinicius both scored braces, while Jude Bellingham provided a couple of assists.

RB Salzburg Team Overview

🔴 The Austrian giants had a less than stellar season, finishing without any silverware. However, they've arrived at the Club World Cup with renewed motivation and are rightfully vying for a spot in the playoffs. Their 2-1 victory over Pachuca was anticipated, albeit challenging, while their draw against Al Hilal came as a surprise to many. Statistically, the Saudis were superior, but Thomas Letsch's squad held their ground, creating several excellent chances. It's fair to say that their single point was well-earned.

🔝 Special recognition goes to Red Bull defender Jacob Rasmussen. He emerged as the top-rated player for his team in the match against Al Hilal, thanks to his two crucial goal-line clearances. On the other hand, attacking leader Oscar Glukh, after a standout performance against Pachuca, delivered a lackluster display and received the lowest rating.

Real Madrid Team Overview

⚪ "Los Blancos," who have only secured two minor trophies this season, are fiercely determined to make their mark in the FIFA Club World Cup. They even paid Liverpool extra to ensure Trent could participate in the tournament and postponed Jude Bellingham's much-needed surgery. While their ambition is commendable, Xabi Alonso's side is currently struggling. They couldn't get past Al-Hilal despite an impressive second half, and they had to fight hard for three points against modest Pachuca. Reduced to ten men as early as the seventh minute, Madrid still managed to clinch victory, showcasing their class.

🔗 The role of the anti-hero for "Los Blancos" has been taken on by Raul Asencio. The cantera product integrated well into the squad during the season but is faltering in the Club World Cup. He conceded a penalty in the first match and left the team a man down in the second. Vinicius, too, has yet to make an impact, despite being relied upon in the absence of Mbappe. The Brazilian hasn't scored for Real since mid-April. On a positive note, Thibaut Courtois deserves praise, having been named Man of the Match against Pachuca after making 10 saves.

Latest news

RB Salzburg

🎙 "We have four points from two matches, yet the guys are sitting in the locker room disappointed. I see it differently. We played against a very strong opponent and showcased excellent football. We had a lot of young players on the field. We created many chances to score. I am very, very proud of the team. If someone had told us we'd be playing the final game against Real, we would have smiled and cried," said Salzburg head coach Thomas Letsch.

❌ The "Bulls" are missing several key players due to injuries. This includes Moussa Kounfolo Yeo, Nicolas Capaldo, Karim Konate, and Alexander Schlager. If the latter three were healthy, they would likely be in the starting lineup.

Real Madrid

📌 The match between Real Madrid and Pachuca drew a crowd of 70,248 fans. This is the second-highest attendance in the tournament.

🎙 "Two matches and two identical mistakes. Perhaps the red card was excessive, but Asensio needs to be smarter," Thibaut Courtois commented after the game against Pachuca.

🎙 Xabi Alonso: "Today we showed our maturity. We demonstrated commitment in tough circumstances, playing with ten men. This victory is very valuable. I'm happy. We managed to control the game even without possession. That's very important. We had to play a low block because we were down to ten men."

❌ Antonio Rüdiger has returned to action and even got involved in some controversy. Otherwise, Madrid's injury list remains unchanged. Out of action are: Endrick, Mendy (both stayed in Spain), Carvajal, Militao, and Alaba. Kylian Mbappe is also unlikely to feature. He is recovering from acute gastroenteritis and has started training in the gym, but he still isn't feeling his best.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

As previously mentioned, both teams would be content with a high-scoring draw. While this outcome isn't guaranteed, we anticipate both sides to adopt an attacking approach. In this scenario, betting on the over 2.5 goals market seems optimal. This bet has come through in 4 out of Salzburg's last 5 matches. Moreover, their recent goalless draw against Al-Hilal, given the number of chances created, can fairly be called an anomaly.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Real have been conceding plenty of corners. They lost the corner count to both Al-Hilal and Pachuca, with their opponents surpassing the 5-corner mark. So why should Salzburg be any different? They average 5.2 corners over their last 10 matches. Thus, we suggest a bold bet on over 4.5 corners for Salzburg. It's quite likely that the nominal hosts will be trailing, prompting them to push forward in numbers.

Salzburg have been decent in this tournament, but they don't seem equipped to challenge Real Madrid on equal terms. With each training session, Xabi Alonso makes Los Blancos stronger, and the team is becoming more cohesive, so we don't foresee an upset here. We anticipate a comfortable victory for Madrid, akin to their win at the Bernabeu last winter. Our editorial team considers a 4-1 scoreline to be the most likely outcome.

Our key bet is on Real Madrid's individual total of over 2.5 goals. The Madrid side is expected to take the lead, forcing their opponents to open up, and then extend the score through counterattacks. This is how we envision the match unfolding.