This Group H encounter of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played between 15-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners CF Pachuca on June 23 at the Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
Here’s our preview and prediction for the game.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Group H: Real Madrid CF vs CF Pachuca | 00:30 IST, June 23
The Galacticos will be hoping to secure all three points to move closer to qualification after suffering a disappointing 1-1 draw against Saudi club Al-Hilal in their Group H opener, while bottom-placed Pachuca will be vying to pull off one of the heists of the group stages so far.
Real Madrid were underwhelming in their opening encounter against Al-Hilal, with Gonzalo Garcia making the breakthrough in the 34th minute before Ruben Neves levelled the scores from the penalty spot late in the first half. Both teams tried their best but neither team could find a second as both teams shared the spoils at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen made their Real Madrid debuts as starters against Al-Hilal, however, it was another underwhelming team performance from a side that was without its talisman Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman recently spending time in hospital due to acute gastroenteritis.
That said, missing one player doesn’t justify their lacklustre approach against Al-Hilal. Real Madrid are still considered to be among the favourites to win this summer’s tournament, but a poor result here would leave them in a difficult spot ahead of their final Group H fixture against RB Salzburg.
Pachuca – the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners – opened their tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Salzburg, with Karim Onisiwo’s 76th-minute effort ultimately proving to be the difference between the two sides. A defeat against heavyweights Real Madrid will result in Jaime Lozano’s team getting eliminated from the Club World Cup ahead of their final group-stage fixture against Al-Hilal.
The Mexican outfit are actually veterans of the Club World Cup, having played in the finals of four previous tournaments – finishing third in 2017. Pachuca recently faced Real Madrid in the final of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup last December, and it was the Spanish side that emerged victorious courtesy of a 3-0 rout, with Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior all ending up on the scoresheet.
Given Real’s long injury list – including Mbappe who looks set to miss this fixture – Pachuca are capable of making this an uncomfortable match for the Galacticos, and looking at their shaky defence, we are backing the Mexican side to score. However, the additional quality that Los Blancos can call upon should be enough for them to pick up the much-needed three points in the CWC Group H fixture.
Score Prediction: Real Madrid CF 2-1 CF Pachuca
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
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