Featured Image Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images
Topics: Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, FIFA Club World Cup, Football, La Liga, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Vinicius Junior
James Taylor
Topics: Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, FIFA Club World Cup, Football, La Liga, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup are getting off to a bad start, with only five first-team players turning up to training.
The Xabi Alonso era began today (9 June) with his first session since joining from Bayer Leverkusen, But he is set to be short on numbers - and then some.
Lucas Vázquez, Fran García, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo have been named as the only senior players present.
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Raul Asencio is also set to be present, but he is officially part of the reserve team, despite playing 23 La Liga games last season.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could be involved but he is a doubt after he was diagnosed with sacroiliitis last week. This is joint inflammation can cause pain in the buttocks and lower back, with pain going down the legs.
It means Alonso will have to supplement his squad with youth players for the first of just five training sessions before the Club World Cup begins.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappé, Luke Modric, Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham will all return this week.
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Tchouameni and Mbappé started for France as they beat Germany 2-0 to finish third in the Nations League, while Bellingham played for England as they struggled to a 1-0 win over Andorra.
After returning from international duty with Spain and England, new signings Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold will both have their presentations this week.
Real Madrid had planned to to sign the England right-back on a free transfer when his contract expired at Liverpool, but they instead agreed a £10 million fee to have him available for the Club World Cup.
But some Madrid stars will not join the squad until they arrive in the USA for the competition.
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Andriy Lunin, Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior are all representing their national teams across the Americas.
Real Madrid's campaign kicks off on the 18 June, when they face Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, who boast Aleksandar Mitrovic, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves.
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They then face Mexico's Pachuca, before finishing the group stage against Austria's Red Bull Salzburg.
Although it is the first edition of the newly reformed FIFA Club World Cup, the stakes are high for Alonso and his team.
The total prize pot is $1 billion (£737 million), meaning success would provide a major boost for the summer transfer window.
And for Real Madrid, who have won an astonishing 15 UEFA Champions League, it offers another opportunity to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet.
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But with limited time to prepare and a thin squad to work with, Alonso faces a tough challenge in his first competition as Madrid's head coach.