Real Madrid have not played a match, of any sort, since getting thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 FIFA Club World semifinals 4-0. So they’ll get one, and just one, preseason friendly between the tournament and the start fo the season. That friendly comes Tuesday night, with a trip to WSG Tirol.
Yes, they’re taking on an Austrian Bundesliga side, and doing so at their own ground in Innsbruck.
Club Friendly FYIs
Real Madrid at WSG Tirol
Kickoff: Tues. August 12, 7pm, Tivoli Stadion Tirol, Innsbruck, Austria
Real Madrid Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Starting Lineup Predictions
The real thing, when the games actually start to count, will come exactly one week later, at home versus Osasuna. WSG Tirol, you could say, is “already in mid-season form,” having played three league matches, and won them all.
So this match will have a weird, distinctive vibe to it- given the different places that the two sides are in right now. Let’s take a look at what Xabi Alonso might do when he picks his first team.
Real Madrid Starting Lineup Prediction at WSG Tirol
Thibaut Courtois; Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, Raul Ascencio, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Arda Guler, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos; Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter