Real Madrid’s line-up has some question marks after a red card to Dean Huijsen.
Wednesday night will pit the FIFA Club World Cup’s two favorites against one another as European giants Real Madrid meet current Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinal at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The game will kick off at 3 p.m. ET, with high temperatures expected but only low chances of stormy weather. The two sides have both looked impressive in their run of form to reach the final four of the tournament, and will now do battle for a spot in the final against either Chelsea or Fluminense.
Xabi Alonso is still unbeaten as Real Madrid coach but he will face a challenge here as he will be without new summer signing Dean Huijsen in defence after he was sent off against Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinal.
He also faces a selection decision in attack, where youngster Gonzalo García is currently the tournament’s joint-highest scorer with four goals in five games, but superstar Kylian Mbappé will be itching to start against his former club having scored off the bench against Dortmund last time out.
Real Madrid team news vs. Paris Saint-Germain
The biggest headline for Real Madrid is the suspension which rules out central defender Dean Huijsen. His late red card against Borussia Dortmund means that he will be unavailable, and it seems likely that Xabi Alonso will stick with a back three and bring in Raúl Asencio as a direct replacement.
The homegrown defender was sent off earlier in the tournament, for the win over Pachuca, and came off the bench late on against Dortmund, but will now return to the starting line-up alongside Aurélien Tchouameni and Antonio Rüdiger in a defensive three.
In terms of injuries, Eduardo Camavinga is close to a return to action but may not yet be ready for action, while long-term absentees Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão will once again be on the bench. Ferland Mendy and David Alaba remain out, while Endrick Felipe is also unavailable despite travelling to the United States to join the team as he prepares his recovery from a hamstring strain.
In positive news for Real Madrid, the yellow card count has been wiped clean, meaning that only a red card will see any of the players involved miss a potential final.
Real Madrid’s expected line-up vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid’s expected lineup vs. Paris Saint-Germain: Thibaut Courtois; Antonio Rüdiger, Aurélien Tchouameni, Raúl Asencio; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fede Valverde, Arda Güler, Jude Bellingham, Fran García; Vinícius Júnior, Gonzalo García.
The enforced change will see Raúl Asencio come into defence in what could be the only change, with Xabi Alonso set to stick to his guns and rely on the threat of Kylian Mbappé off the bench as a potential gamechanger.
That will mean that Gonzalo García could continue alongside Vinícius Júnior in attack, with Mbappé ready to come on and impact the game later on in the tie if needed, as he is now fully fit.
Xabi Alonso’s system could again see Aurélien Tchouameni flitter between forming part of a back three and stepping up into midfield to give the team flexibility to switch from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2, which could help in the tactical match against Luis Enrique.
Also off the bench, the likes of Brahim Díaz, Rodrygo Goes and Luka Modrić will be hoping for minutes in the search for a place in Sunday’s final.
