Having navigated the group stage relatively unscathed, Xabi Alonso now begins the real test of his first competition in charge of Real Madrid as they meet Italian giants Juventus on Tuesday in Miami.
Los Blancos scored seven goals and conceded just two, recovering from a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal in their opening round with multi-goal victories over Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
The team has already showed signs of influence by their new manager, but they have plenty of room to grow under Alonso.
Juventus, meanwhile, have qualified for the Champions League next year by the skin of their teeth, finishing fourth in last year’s Serie A table, but still have a long way to go for a return to Italian dominance after tumbling from their decade-long reign in 2021.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus predicted lineups, team news
Kylian Mbappe was hospitalised by a bout of gastroenteritis ahead of the opening match, and missed all three group games. He was discharged and trained ahead of the RB Salzburg game but did not feature, so he’s likely to be available as the knockouts start. Gonzalo Garcia has been brilliant in the France star’s absence but it will be tough to keep him in the lineup once Mbappe returns.
Endrick has also returned to the Real Madrid squad and has begun training after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Antonio Rudiger is back from a knee issue that ended his league campaign early. Raul Asencio is available once more following his one-game suspension for a red card against Pachuca.
Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy are still absent with their long-term injuries.
Real Madrid predicted XI (4-4-2 diamond, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, F. Garcia — Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Guler — Vinicius Jr, Mbappe.
Injured: Endrick (hamstring, doubt), Carvajal (knee), Camavinga (muscle), Mendy (muscle).
Suspended: None.
Full Real Madrid squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Fran Gonzalez, Andriy Lunin, Sergio Mestre.
Defenders: Diego Aguado, David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Dani Carvajal, Jesus Fortea, Fran Garcia, Dean Huijsen, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao, Jacobo Ramon, Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Vazquez, Yusi.
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Chema, Arda Guler, Mario Martin, Luka Modric, Victor Munoz, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde.
Forwards: Brahim Diaz, Endrick, Gonzalo Garcia, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
Juve captain Manuel Locatelli returned from an ankle injury in the 4-1 win against Wydad, and was back in the starting lineup alongside American Weston McKennie to face Manchester City, which sent Khephren Thuram was sent to the bench.
Turkey youngster Kenan Yildiz bagged a brace against Wydad to move on to three goals for the tournament, but found himself rotated out against City, where Dusan Vlahovic scored, leaving a choice up front. Also pushing for a return are Francisco Conceicao and Randal Kolo Muani as Igor Tudor looks to figure out his best attacking unit.
Defender Nicolo Savona came off injured in Orlando and will miss the rest of the World Cup.
Juventus predicted XI (3-4-2-1, right to left): Di Gregorio (GK) — Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly — Costa, McKennie, Locatelli, Kostic — N. Gonzalez, Koopmeiners — Yildiz.
Injured: Savona (ankle), Perin (hand), Cabal (knee), Bremer (knee).
Suspended: None.
On a yellow card: Conceicao, Cambiaso, McKennie, Gatti, Thuram, Kalulu.
Full Juventus squad
Goalkeepers: Michele Di Gregorio, Giovanni Daffara, Giovanni Garofani, Carlo Pinsoglio
Defenders: Bremer, Andrea Cambiaso, Alberto Costa, Federico Gatti, Javier Gil, Pierre Kalulu, Lloyd Kelly, Jonas Rouhi, Daniele Rugani, Nicolo Savona
Midfielders: Vasilijie Adzic, Filip Kostic, Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie, Teun Koopmeiners, Kephren Thuram, Douglas Luiz, Augusto Owusu, Stefano Turco
Forwards: Lorenzo Anghele, Samuel Mbangula, Francisco Conceicao, Nicolo Cudrig, Randal Kolo Muani, Tommaso Mancini, Arkadiusz Milik, Nico Gonzalez, Alessandro Pietrelli, Dusan Vlahovic, Timothy Weah, Kenan Yildiz.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus score prediction
Juventus looked massively overmatched against Manchester City, and the same is likely to be true here as well.
While this Real Madrid squad doesn’t quite possess the killer instinct of Pep Guardiola’s side, Juventus are suffering from a talent deficit in a number of positions. At this point, their ability to compete with the top echelon of Champions League caliber opponents is minimal.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Juventus: Live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Club World Cup knockout match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Tue, Jul. 1 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | TUDN, UniMas | Fubo, DAZN |
| Canada | Tue, Jul. 1 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Tue, Jul. 1 | 8 p.m. BST | Channel 5 | DAZN |
| Australia | Wed, Jul. 2 | 7 a.m. AEST | — | DAZN, Foxtel Now, Kayo Sports |
| India | Wed, Jul. 2 | 12:30 a.m. IST | — | DAZN, tabii |
