Real Madrid is measured this Friday to Salzburg in its third and last match of the group stage at the Club World Cup. The result of this party will decide if whites end up as first or seconds of group and, therefore, the side of the group they will seek to reach the final. A victory assures you first place, the draw would leave it in the hands of the goals and a defeat would put them in trouble if Al-Hilal defeat Pachuca, with options even to stay out of the tournament.
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Making some conjectures and proposing that Xabi Alonso spend as the first of the group, the path that is drawn ahead towards a final hypothetical would have very little Club World Cup and a lot of Champions League flavor. And, following the current classification already lack of the third parties of other groups, the current rival of Madrid in the round of 16 would be the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola.
Everything will depend on the duel that the Mancunians play this Thursday against Juventus, which would be the other team that could fall on the road of Real Madrid in the round of 16. For all these reasons, it seems that a powerful European rival waiting in the first qualifier of whites if they pass as first of the group. The story is still complicated if we simulate hypothetical quarterfinals, where the Fluminense-Inter-winner could wait if things are still as they are right now. Another European team along the way.
On the same side of the painting, PSG and Bayern de Munich are also classified, two others of the Titans of this competition, which will be played by their eighth matches against Inter from Miami and Flamengo, respectively. If both win their meetings and Madrid advance rounds, those of Luis Enrique or those of Kompany would be measured to whites in a hypothetical semifinal.
In any case, and with Atlético de Madrid already eliminated, the Spanish options in the Club World Cup are complicated and the fate of the crosses does not seem to favor Real Madrid. A film that would be completely different if those of Alonso classify as seconds of Group. In that case, they would travel on the other side of the painting and there they could also meet the City and Juventus, or with the morbidity of measuring the River Plate of Franco Mastantuono before the Argentine arrives at the white club.
Before all that, the first opponent will be the Austrian Salzburg, which arrives with four points after adding a victory and a draw and that knows that, to lose, it can stay out of the tournament with a victory of Al-Hilal. Xabi Alonso will have to form his team without a Kylian Mbappé that has stayed again out of the call, despite being seen training these days after recovering from his gastroenteritis.
