Thegoalmac can reveal that Real Madrid will start their bid to win their maiden Club World Cup title when they take on Cruz Azul on Tuesday.
The
Spanish club will compete in their second Club World Cup after
finishing fourth in 2000, while Mexico's Cruz Azul are involved in thir
maiden appearance, having already accounted for Western Sydney Wanderers
3-1 after extra time on Saturday.
That match was played in
dreadful conditions with puddles forming on the pitch in Rabat as heavy
rain fell throughout the contest, prompting Wanderers coach Tony Popovic
to question why the game went ahead.
Following that rain,
Tuesday's fixture has been moved from Rabat to Marrakech to give Real
and Cruz Azul the best possible pitch to play on.
While Real are
the clear favourites to win the Club World Cup - six of the past seven
editions have been won by Europe's representatives - Cruz Azul coach
Luis Fernando Tena insisted his team should not be discounted.
Real have never won the Club World Cup but did win the tournament's predecessor - the Intercontinental Cup - three times.
"Now
we're looking forward to facing Real Madrid, who are probably the best
team in the world right now," Tena said after his team's victory over
Western Sydney.
"Of course, they're the favourites but there are always surprises in football."
Real
will enter the match on a 20-game winning streak in all competitions,
while Carlo Ancelotti's men lead La Liga by four points from archrivals
Barcelona, following their 4-1 win at Almeria on Friday.
Cruz
Azul had only won one of their previous six matches before downing
Western Sydney in Morocco, with Tena's side needing some luck to get
past the A-League outfit.
The Wanderers took the lead in the 65th
minute through Iacopo La Rocca but, after Matthew Spiranovic was sent
off nine minutes later, a late penalty allowed Gerardo Torrado to
equalise for Cruz Azul.
Western Sydney also lost captain Nikolai
Topor-Stanley to a second yellow card in the 102nd minute and Cruz Azul
pounced, with Mariano Pavone scoring six minutes later before Torrado
converted another spot-kick in the 118th minute to complete the victory
for the Liga MX club.
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