The 19th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will come to its conclusion on Saturday as Real Madrid and Al-Hilal square off in the tournament's final. Although Al-Hilal come into this match as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions, Ramon Diaz's side are nonetheless viewed by most as the underdogs simply due to Real Madrid's dominance in this competition.
To date, the last non-UEFA side to win the Club World Cup is Corinthians, with the Brazilian outfit narrowly edging out Chelsea 1-0 in 2012. UEFA teams have won 14 out of the last 18 tournaments, with Spanish teams dominating that total with seven titles. All were won by either Real Madrid (four) or Barcelona (three), so with those stats in mind, Carlo Ancelotti's side are the heavy favorites to win what would be their fifth Club World Cup this Saturday.
As is custom, Real Madrid, who won last season's UEFA Champions League, received a bye to the semi-finals, where they dispatched Egyptian side Al Ahly 4-1 without much fuss. Current boss Ancelotti is hoping to win what would be his third Club World Cup, having won it with Real Madrid back in 2014 and AC Milan in 2007.
Nonetheless, despite their underdog status, Al-Hilal do come into this tie in excellent form. They have lost just two of their last 19 matches across all competitions. At this year's Club World Cup, Diaz's team came from 1-0 down to ultimately edge out Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca during a penalty shootout after the game finished 1-1. They followed that up with a hard-fought 3-2 semi-finals win over Brazilian outfit Flamengo - despite facing a nervy end to that tie after their opponents scored in the 92nd minute - and now find themselves in the final for the first time in club history.
Saudi international Salem Al-Dawsari will certainly hope to inspire his side here after scoring twice from the spot to fire his team into their first ever final. The 31-year-old became well known to fans worldwide thanks to his brilliant performance for the Green Falcons at last year's World Cup, namely his goal to help Saudi Arabia accomplish one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by beating Argentina in the group stages. Another key player for Al-Hilal will be Mohamed Kanno, who also had an excellent World Cup with Saudi Arabia, and his team will be very happy that he's back from suspension as they hope to stage a huge upset on Saturday
Team news: Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal
Real Madrid: Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard, Lucas Vazquez, and Thibaut Courtois are all out injured. Meanwhile, while Karim Benzema and Eder Militao have been added to the team after missing out during the semi-final, it remains to be seen whether either player will get involved. However, both Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio could feature in some capacity after missing the semi-final.
Al-Hilal: Mohamed Kanno, who was suspended for his team's last match, will be eligible to feature in Saturday's final, while Andre Carrillo, who sustained an ankle injury, is a doubt for this upcoming tie.
Match facts: Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal
- Real Madrid's four CWC wins makes Los Blancos the most successful side in this competition
- This wil be Al-Hilal's first appearance in a CWC final, while Real Madrid are back in the final for the first time since 2018
- Real Madrid have scored the most goals (32) of any other team in this competition
Broadcast info: Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal
Here's how you can catch Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final from wherever you are based:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
