The Intercontinental Cup final 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.
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
Matches – 13 (International matches, 2024);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 78;
Average yellow cards per match – 6;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 29;
Penalties – 0%.
Predicted lineups for Real Madrid vs. Pachuca
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Thibaut Courtois – Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger – Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham – Arda Guler, 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.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match is listed.
Real Madrid
The Spaniards are participating in this tournament thanks to their victory in the UEFA Champions League. In the final of the European Cup, Carlo Ancelotti's side defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Notably, throughout the 2023/24 Champions League season, the club remained unbeaten (9 wins and 4 draws). Due to their high ranking in the European club tournament, Madrid went straight to the Intercontinental Cup final, which this season is held in the format of the Club World Cup. It should be added that Real has won this cup three times.
Defenders David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, and Eder Militao will miss the match due to injuries. The participation of defender Ferland Mendy and forward Kylian Mbappe is questionable.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 9 of Real Madrid's last 12 Champions League games.
- In the last eight European Cup matches, Real did not win the first half (5 draws and 3 losses).
- The Spaniards have not scored more than three goals in regular time in 22 of their last 24 Champions League games.
Pachuca
The Mexicans are participating in the Intercontinental Cup as the winners of the CONCACAF Champions League. In the final of the North American tournament, the team crushed the American Columbus Crew 3-0. Additionally, Pachuca did not suffer a single defeat throughout the Champions League campaign – 5 wins and 2 draws. Guillermo Almada's side started the Intercontinental Cup with a surprising victory over the strongest team in South America – Botafogo (3-0). In the semifinals, 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 the last six matches of the Mexicans in the CONCACAF Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.
- Pachuca has not lost in 90 minutes in their last 14 matches in these tournaments (8 wins and 6 draws).
- The team did not concede in the second half in 8 of their last 9 Champions League and Intercontinental Cup matches.
Real Madrid vs. Pachuca: Match Prediction
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti stated before the final that it is important for his team to win the Intercontinental Cup. The Madrid coach brought all his best players to Qatar, although some will not play due to injuries. Even if Kylian Mbappe remains on the bench, Real should defeat the Mexicans, who only narrowly progressed past the Egyptians in the previous stage of the tournament thanks to better penalty execution.
It is likely that the match will not be highly scoring. Pachuca has a strong defense that kept clean sheets in both previous Intercontinental Cup matches. The Mexicans have also not conceded more than one goal in their last 12 North American Champions League matches. Real Madrid does not need to score as many goals as possible; their priority is to win the trophy without adding more injuries to their squad. Moreover, they have a La Liga match against Sevilla on Sunday. I am confident that the Spaniards will not lose in regular time, and there will be no more than three goals.
My prediction – 1X and Total under 3.5 goals
