FC Salzburg v Real Madrid: Club World Cup preview

Real Madrid face FC Salzburg in Philadelphia with both sides knowing a win will secure top spot in Group H at the Club World Cup.

With Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal just two points behind and facing pointless Pachuca, Real Madrid and FC Salzburg also both know that defeat here could be fatal.

The Spaniards overcame an early red card for Raul Asencio last time out as they beat Pachuca 3-1 to earn their first win of the competition.

Salzburg had accounted for the same opponents in their opening game but, mirroring Real, they too were held by Al-Hilal to leave the group very much in the balance with one round of games to go.

FC Salzburg v Real Madrid betting preview

Madrid finding their stride

Newly installed ahead of this tournament, Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso saw his side held by Al-Hilal in their opening game.

When Asencio collected a straight red card after seven minutes against Pachuca, the Los Blancos boss would have feared another setback.

As it proved, his side dominated with 10 men as goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde sealed maximum points in that 3-1 win.

A repeat of that scoreline here is priced at 26.00, while England international Bellingham is 2.10 to find the net once more.

Alonso knows his side need the win here, while they are 1.28 to claim.

Five-time winners of the Club World Cup, Real Madrid will finish in the top two if this ends level, but they would miss out on top spot if the spoils are shared Al-Hilal claim all three points against Pachuca to climb to the summit of the group.

Salzburg boss fires warning

Head coach Thomas Letsch claimed that his team were 'disappointed' after failing to make it two wins from two and take full control of Group H when they were held scoreless by Al-Hilal in Washington DC.

After kick-starting their debut Club World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Pachuca, a win there would have secured progress with a game to spare.

They enter this clash with Madrid joint-top but with the very real possibility that a defeat will see them miss out on qualification for the knockouts.

Salzburg are 9.00 to defeat their La Liga opponents and Letsch isn't about to shy back from the challenge.

"The goal is to win against Real Madrid, that's why we're here: we're not here to have a good time in Philadelphia, but rather to go far in the World Cup, and for that we have to win," he said ahead of this key contest.

Goals to flow

Achieving that goal will be difficult. Salzburg head into this encounter having won only five of their previous 24 meetings with Spanish opposition across all competitions (D4 L15).

They've been scoring goals, however. They found the net in 16 successive games prior to their 0-0 draw with Al-Hilal, scoring at least twice on 11 occasions.

Real Madrid have meanwhile have conceded in 27 of their 39 matches across all competitions since the turn of the year.

These teams met in the UEFA Champions League in January, with Madrid running out 5-1 winners in the Spanish capital. Over four goals in this latest head-to-head is priced at 2.75 as both teams chase the positive result that will send them into the next round.

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FC Salzburg v Real Madrid odds

FC Salzburg - 9.00
Draw - 6.00
Real Madrid - 1.28

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.