Red Bull Salzburg take on the visitors Real Madrid in the round 3 match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Friday, June 27th at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA).
Red Bull Salzburg still can't reclaim domestic dominance. The “Bulls” had long been the flagship of the Red Bull football empire, consistently dominating Austrian football for years. But after the passing of the project's founder, the entire organization seemed to lose some momentum. In 2024, Salzburg finally relinquished the top spot in the Austrian Bundesliga to Sturm Graz. Even with a managerial change ahead of the current season, they still haven’t managed to reclaim the domestic throne. Their European campaign wasn’t much better — despite surviving qualifiers (including beating Dynamo Kyiv), they were outclassed in the UEFA Champions League group stage. At the Club World Cup, they opened with a narrow win over Pachuca. However, a disappointing 0-0 draw against Al Hilal has left their qualification for the knockout stage hanging in the balance. Salzburg has now won just two of their last six matches in all competitions, highlighting their inconsistency.
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Real Madrid was flying high a year ago, lifting the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, and yet another UEFA Champions League title. The summer headline was, of course, finally signing Kylian Mbappe. His debut came in the UEFA Super Cup — and unsurprisingly, it brought another trophy. They even capped the calendar year by winning the Intercontinental Cup. But then things fell apart. Barcelona humiliated Madrid in the Supercopa, beat them again in La Liga, and delivered another painful blow in the Copa del Rey final. Their Champions League dream also ended in disaster with a pair of defeats against Arsenal. Unsurprisingly, Carlo Ancelotti stepped down despite his past successes. His replacement, Xabi Alonso, returned to the Bernabeu with fresh ideas, and the squad was reinforced with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen. However, his debut against Al Hilal ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw. A first win finally came in their second match — a solid 3-1 over Pachuca. The new-look Real is showing signs of progress but remains a work in progress.
The sides met in a 2019 friendly, where Real Madrid claimed a narrow 1-0 win. They also faced off again this January, with Los Blancos dominating 5-1. Real Madrid should be fully motivated to prove their superiority and secure progression. Salzburg’s inability to finish off Al Hilal highlights the gap in class here. Given Madrid’s attacking depth and Salzburg’s defensive issues against top-tier sides, the Spanish giants are expected to control the game.
Prediction for the match: Real Madrid to win with a -1.5 goal handicap.
