Al Hilal and Real Madrid bid for World Champion honours

Al Hilal have added momentum to the growth of the game in the Middle East by becoming the first club from Saudi Arabia to reach a FIFA Club World Cup final. Our Technical Study Group (TSG) take a look at what lies in store.

According to FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, this is another example of the huge development of the game in the Middle East.

"This progression from Al Hilal reflects what we saw in the FIFA World Cup Qatar, the emergence of Arabic countries as genuine competitors on the global stage. There is a change in the mindset in these countries and they now have belief in their ability, to not only compete with the best teams in the world, but to win against them and we saw this in their semi-final victory over Flamengo."

Real Madrid have won the FIFA Club World Cup™ more than any other club, with four trophies collected in the tournament's 23-year history. UEFA clubs have dominated the competition over recent times, winning the last nine consecutive titles.

According to Wenger, Real Madrid will be favourites to win this game, but they will face a strong opponent. "Real Madrid's semi-final game against Al Ahly was more even than the 4-1 scoreline suggests. It was very evenly poised and at 2-1 Al Ahly should have equalised, but Real Madrid have some explosive players that can really change the tempo of the game."

Data dashboard - Real Madrid

Data dashboard - Al Hilal

In possession

Real Madrid dominated possession in their semi-final victory over Al Ahly. Cha Du-Ri felt that although the UEFA Champions initially found it difficult to deal with the low block they were facing, Los Blancos managed to remain patient and find the right rhythm and space to play.

"Once they settled, they started to create big chances. Vinícius Júnior was so involved, and he ruthlessly capitalised on a defensive error to score the game's opening goal.

"They started the second half so sharply and within seconds had doubled the lead, a superb trademark through-pass from Luka Modrić was crucial in the build-up to that goal," he added.

The line-breaking capacity of Real Madrid's midfield three of Kroos, Tchouaméni and Modrić (who operated just ahead of the other two) played a significant part in their victory; these three players' passes through Al Ahly's defensive structure were particularly potent.

Impact of Real Madrid's midfield three in Line Breaks:

(10) Modrić: 16 out of 19 completed - 84% (9 Through)
(8) Kroos: 18 out of 21 completed - 85% (6 Through)
(18) Tchouaméni: 14 out of 17 completed - 82% (7 Through)

(10) Luka Modrić travels at speed with Real Madrid's attack and is an option to receive inside when the central space opens up. Despite Al Ahly having a number of defenders around the ball, he plays through to create the goal-scoring opportunity.

Real Madrid's capacity to progress the ball centrally is fundamental to their ability to create goal-scoring chances. However, the intricate and beautifully timed movements of their forward players are also a key factor, as illustrated below in Real's third goal against Al Ahly.

Following a central ball progression, (21) Rodrygo, (10) Modrić and (19) Ceballos combine with clever movement and exceptional timing to score a goal.

When Eduardo Camavinga is featuring in the left-back position he has an appetite to combine with Kroos, who plays inside of him, and the more offensively positioned Vinícius Júnior. Due to Camavinga venturing forward for these combinations, Real Madrid can be vulnerable down the left flank during their defensive transitions.

(12) Camavinga combines with midfielder (8) Kroos and (20) Vinícius Júnior to initiate an attack

Out of possession

When Real Madrid don't have the ball, they like to be aggressive and press high when possible and will also initiate collective counter-presses when the opportunities present themselves. The latter press is particularly common when Real are in a defensive transition within the opponent's defensive third.

Carlo Ancelotti's side like to win the ball back in the opponent's half of the pitch and get their explosive forward players on the ball as close to the opposition goal as possible.

Real Madrid (in light blue) set up in a high press before engaging aggressively and collectively to win the ball back and create a strong goal-scoring chance.

When (15) Valverde loses the ball, (12) Camavinga immediately initiates a counter-press.

Andriy Lunin

Ukraine national team goalkeeper Andriy Lunin played for Real Madrid against Al Ahly, having started Real's previous La Liga match against Mallorca after number one goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was injured in the warm-up. Despite being just 23 years of age, Lunin has already acquired plenty big-game experience.

Pascal Zuberbühler watched Lunin win the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019™ and be awarded the adidas Golden Glove award for his outstanding performances in the competition.

"He has big potential and we saw in the semi-final; he was there for his team in two crucial moments, first his save from Elshahat in the first half. Also, his positioning and footwork, from a dangerous second-half corner was correct to enable him to make an important save at his first post.

"He looks very comfortable, he is active in the game, he dominates his area, and he is a presence for his team - this is so important," added Zuberbühler.

Goalkeeper Lunin adjusts his position and feet well to be able to save from (14) Elshahat at his near post.

Lunin adopts a good central starting position and moves in line with the movement of the ball to save at his near post.

In possession

Under the management of highly respected Argentinian Ramón Díaz, Al Hilal have developed into a settled, cohesive and technical team that can find different ways to win games. They can dominate possession and build creative, intricate attacks, but they can also control the game without the ball, operating from a mid or low block with fast transitions to attack.

FIFA technical expert Jürgen Klinsmann has really enjoyed watching the AFC Champions. "They are so committed, have no fear, and try to play quickly when they have the ball. Díaz is committed to attacking football, and how they played in this tournament so far, has his signature all over them."

In Gustavo Cuéllar Al Hilal have a playmaking midfielder who is very effective on the ball. In a Man-of-the-Match performance against Wydad AC, Cuéllar completed 16 out of 17 attempted line breaks. Against Flamengo he completed 20 out of 21, yet again demonstrating his sharp vision and ability to execute these types of decisive distributions.

According to Klinsmann, "They have outstanding players that can change the game, but they can do this knowing the whole team is with them. They are so connected. I enjoyed how Gustavo Cuéllar controlled the game, broke lines, and brought other players into the game when they had the ball."

(6) Gustavo Cuéllar receives the ball from his goalkeeper before progressing the ball and breaking two lines of Flamengo's defence

Out of Possession

When not in possession of the ball, Al Hilal mostly defend from a mid or a low block. In this tournament they have not displayed a particular preference for pressing high. They connect as a team and when they counter-attack, they do so at great speed but with minimal numbers and maintain a balanced rest defence with numerical supremacy to protect against vulnerability on a transition to defend.

According to Klinsmann, "They were really prepared for Flamengo going up a gear and they were patient when they did not have the ball. The team were always so compact and together in all moments of the game. When they were in a mid or low block and won the ball back, their forward players advanced at speed whilst the remainder of the team stayed together showing a truth to their attacking style when they regained the ball."

Al Hilal stay connected in a mid block but aggressively engage to win the ball back. They counter-attack quickly with just three players and score a goal, whilst maintaining a strong rest defence.

Al Hilal sit in a compact, narrow low block and counter-attack at speed when they win the ball back. The forward players stay connected and the rest defence remains together.

Abdullah Al-Mayouf

Al Hilal have played the hugely experienced Abdullah Al-Mayouf in both games and both times he wore the captain's armband.

According to Pascal Zuberbühler, "It has been good to see him play, especially when they have Mohammed Alowais, the goalkeeper that played for Saudi Arabia in the World Cup, on the bench. He is a calm goalkeeper, especially under high balls and he reads balls over the top of his last defensive line very well. He brings a presence and coolness to his team.

"In terms of distribution, he has good variety, a very good kick off the ground and can pick out players with good accuracy, especially with longer balls. He is comfortable to be involved in Al Hilal's build-up play but is sensible when there is pressure and does not take unnecessary risks," he added.

Al-Mayouf is assertive whilst defending a corner, confidently coming to collect to the ball.

Al-Mayouf is confident in his team's build-up play, recognising when to kick long, and with great accuracy.

Midfield

The battle for supremacy in the middle of the pitch will be crucial to the outcome of this game. Both sides have players with the capacity to break lines and have forwards that initiate clever movement ahead of the ball. The potential match-up between Cuéllar (Al Hilal) and Modrić (Real Madrid) will be certainly worth watching.

Channel play

Interestingly, Al Hilal have demonstrated a strong preference for crosses from their right-hand side during this tournament. Against Wydad AC, eight of their nine crosses came from the right and their semi-final clash with Flamengo saw 11 out of 14 crosses come from that side of the pitch. Considering Real Madrid's strong attacking tendencies down their left-hand-side, and their potentially vulnerability during defensive transitions in this area, the activity in this part of the pitch could prove pivotal.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2022 final kicks off at 1900 local time in Morocco's Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.