Alonso, after leaving Bayer Leverkusen, succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the domestic league season and it is straight down to work for the Spanish tactician.
Los Blancos – the most successful team in Club World Cup history with five titles – should be motivated following a disappointing final few months of the 2024/25 campaign where they finished runners-up to Barcelona, lost in the Copa del Rey final and were knocked out by Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final.
Their first game of the new-look competition is a Group H showdown against the most decorated club in Asia.
Al-Hilal will be out to underline the strength of the Saudi Pro League on the world stage having turned to Simone Inzaghi ahead of the tournament getting underway.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal is scheduled for a 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, 18 June, 2025.
The match will take place at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens.
Where to watch Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on 5 (formerly known as Channel 5). Coverage starts at 7.30pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Viewers can also watch the action live online via channel5.com. Meanwhile, DAZN.com will stream the game for free.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog!
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal team news
Real Madrid have been boosted by the return to training of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger following their injury problems.
That said, Endrick will not feature at all during the competition as a result of a hamstring injury sustained last month. However, Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold are expected to make their debuts after joining from Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively.
As for Al-Hilal, a tactical tweak is likely given Inzaghi’s preference for a 3-5-2 formation. Joao Cancelo faces a race against the clock to prove his fitness after missing the final six games of the league season.
Ruben Neves is available, whilst ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will lead the line.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to feature for Real Madrid against Al-Hilal
AFP via Getty Images
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal prediction
With Real Madrid still adjusting to life under Xabi Alonso, we don’t know what to expect. On the other hand, the same argument can be made for Al-Hilal given Inzaghi has been in the job for even less time.
Still, the Spanish giants have that extra quality in their squad and ultimately that will prove to be the difference in what should be an entertaining fixture.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two teams have met once previously, in the Club World Cup final back in 2022. Real Madrid came out on top in an eight-goal thriller with Vinicius Jr. and Federico Valverde scoring twice in a 5-3 win.
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
