Final of the Intercontinental Cup between Real Madrid (Spain) and Pachuca (Mexico) will take place on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. Real Madrid vs. Pachuca: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for Real Madrid vs. Pachuca
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Thibaut Courtois – Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger – Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham – Arda Güler, Rodrygo Goes.
Pachuca (4-2-3-1): Carlos Moreno – Bryan Gonzalez, Andres Micolta, Gustavo Cabral, Luis Rodriguez – Pedro Pedraza, Elias Montiel – Alan Bautista, Oussama Idrissi, Arturo Gonzalez – Salomon Rondon.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match.
Real Madrid
The Spanish side is participating in this tournament thanks to their victory in the UEFA Champions League. In the European Cup final, Carlo Ancelotti's team defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Notably, Real Madrid did not suffer a single defeat throughout the 2023/24 Champions League season (9 wins and 4 draws). Due to their high ranking in the European club tournament, Real Madrid advanced directly to the Intercontinental Cup final, which is being held in the format of the Club World Cup this season. It is worth mentioning that Real Madrid has won this cup three times.
Defenders David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, and Éder Militão will miss the match due to injuries. The participation of defender Ferland Mendy and forward Kylian Mbappe is questionable.
- Both teams scored in 9 of Real Madrid's last 12 UEFA Champions League matches during regular time.
- In their last eight European Cup matches, Real Madrid did not win the first half (5 draws and 3 losses).
- The Spanish side has not scored more than three goals in regular time in 22 of their last 24 UEFA Champions League matches.
Pachuca
The Mexican team is participating in the Intercontinental Cup as the winners of the CONCACAF Champions League. In the North American tournament final, they defeated the American team Columbus Crew 3-0. Additionally, Pachuca remained unbeaten throughout the Champions League campaign – 5 wins and 2 draws. Guillermo Almada's team started the Intercontinental Cup with a surprising victory over South America's strongest team, Botafogo (3-0). In the semi-final, they defeated Egypt's Al Ahly Cairo in a penalty shootout (0-0, extra time 0-0, penalties 6-5).
- No more than three goals were scored in regular time in Pachuca's last six matches in the CONCACAF Champions League and Intercontinental Cup.
- Pachuca has not lost in 90 minutes in their last 14 matches in these tournaments (8 wins and 6 draws).
- The team has not conceded in the second half in 8 of their last 9 matches in the Champions League and Intercontinental Cup.
Real Madrid vs. Pachuca: Match Prediction
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti stated before the final that winning the Intercontinental Cup is important for his team. The Madrid coach has taken all his best players to Qatar, although some will not play due to injuries. Even if Kylian Mbappe remains on the bench, Real Madrid should defeat the Mexicans, who struggled to get past the Egyptians in the previous stage of the tournament, only succeeding through better penalty execution.
The match is unlikely to be high-scoring. Pachuca has a solid defense, which kept a clean sheet in both previous Intercontinental Cup matches. Also, the Mexicans have not conceded more than one goal in their last 12 matches in the North American Champions League. Real Madrid does not need to aim for a high-scoring victory; their priority is to win the trophy without adding new injuries to their squad. Furthermore, they have a La Liga match against Sevilla on Sunday. I am confident that the Spanish side will not lose in regular time, and there will be no more than three goals.
My prediction: 1X and Total under 3.5 goals
