Trent Alexander-Arnold is to make his Real Madrid debut against Al-Hilal tonight, but Kylian Mbappe will not feature in the Miami curtain-raiser.
The England international’s move to the Santiago Bernabeu was completed earlier than expected, with Los Blancos paying Liverpool a £10m fee to have him available for the Club World Cup.
There is a open spot at right-back for Alexander-Arnold to fill and that is despite Dani Carvajal’s return to training following an extended period on the sidelines with an ACL injury.
Xabi Alonso, managing Real Madrid for the first time since replacing Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, could also hand Dean Huijsen his bow in central defence alongside Raul Asencio.
Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba have all been named in the Club World Cup squad, but will not feature in the Group H showdown as they are eased back in after injury.
Jude Bellingham is likely to form a midfield trio with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. This means captain Luka Modric has to settle for a place on the bench as he begins his farewell tour as he will leave the club after the tournament concludes.
Rodrygo - linked with a move to Arsenal - is an option to start in attack but considering Arda Guler is more of a natural fit on the right-hand side and taking his form towards the end of the 2024/25 season into account, he could very well get the nod.
Meanwhile, Alonso has revealed that a late decision will be made regarding Mbappe’s involvement after the Frenchman missed training on Tuesday.
“He was feeling a bit better today, but not well enough,” Alonso said. “It's very hot and it was better for him not to train. We're going to wait until the last minute and decide tomorrow morning.
“He's a more dynamic striker. He's not positional. He's not a target man, but he's a nine who scores a lot of goals.”
Confirmed Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Gonzalo Garcia, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Injured: Endrick, Carvajal, Militao, Camavinga, Rudiger, Mendy, Alaba, Mbappe.
Confirmed Al-Hilal XI: Bono; Cancelo, Koulibaly, Al-Tambakti, Lodi; Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Nasser Al-Dawsari; Salem Al-Dawsari, Leonardo, Malcom
Time and date: 8pm BST today, Wednesday June 18, 2025
How to watch: 5 and DAZN
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
