Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has a couple of big team selection decisions to consider for Wednesday’s Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Spaniard will be forced into one change defensively as summer signing Dean Huijsen is suspended as a result of being sent-off in the quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund.
Eder Militao was on the bench at the weekend and is an option to partner Antonio Rudiger. But a lack of match practice is likely to count against the Brazilian, thus allowing Raul Asencio to come in.
Elsewhere across the defence, Thibaut Courtois will be in between the posts with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia at full-back.
Arda Guler is proving to be one of Alonso’s undroppables already and two assists last time out should see the Turkey wonderkid keep his place in midfield alongside Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.
Up front, Kylian Mbappe is in contention to face his former club for the first time since leaving on a free transfer last summer, though his inclusion from the start is not a guarantee.
Gonzalo Garcia has done superbly leading the line in Mbappe’s absence, netting four goals in five appearances to stake his claim to start against PSG.
Furthermore, the Frenchman is still returning to fitness after dealing with a case of gastroenteritis that not only hospitalised him but also saw him miss the entirety of the group stage.
He played the final 20 minutes as a substitute against Juventus in the round of 16 and got a similar amount of time in the quarter-final win where he ended up netting the all-important goal.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, F.Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler, Bellingham; G.Garcia, Vinicius Jr.
Suspended: Huijsen.
Injured: Alaba, Endrick, Mendy, Camavinga.
Time and date: 8pm BST on Wednesday July 9, 2025.
How to watch: 5 and DAZN.
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford.
