Wednesday night brings the Club World Cup semifinals, with Real Madrid strongly considered to be the favorites among the final four in the field. However, they’ll be dealing with some severe selection issues, as manager Carlo Ancelotti will be sans some key players.
It all starts with the No. 1 Thibaut Courtois, who injured his groin during Sunday’s shock upset loss to Mallorca. He didn’t make the quick trip to Morocco, where Madrid will face Egyptian side Al Ahly.
Club World Cup Semifinal FYIs
Kickoff: 8pm, Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
Real Madrid Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Form Guide: Al Ahly WWWWW Real Madrid LWDWW
Also missing from the travel party were the likes of Karim Benzema, Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy. Benzema, who has had an injury-riddled season, was back in the mix, until suffering a leg injury in the win over Valencia on Thursday. He is not expected to be sidelined for too long, however.
The same goes for Militao, who also suffered a leg injury. Mendy and Vazquez are long term injury absentees.
Despite being short-handed, Ancelotti maintains that he’ll play to win, and go full bore in this one.
“We will not throw any tournaments away, we are very close… In the [Spanish] Cup semifinals, last 16 in Europe, Club World Cup semis,” the Italian said ahead of this match.
“We don’t ever want to throw matches away… [but] the schedule is just remarkable, it doesn’t stop. LaLiga wants its share, FIFA wants its share, UEFA wants its share, Spanish FA wants its share… They won’t allow us to have a day to rest.
“I get bored when I get days to rest, but the players get tired… We’re always looking forward to fight for every title but we’re going beyond our limits with the schedule as it is.
“Between all of us we need to do something to avoid this situation.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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