European Giants Madrid Face Mexican Challengers Pachuca in Reimagined Intercontinental Cup Final

Real Madrid and Mexican club Pachuca meet in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday. Madrid's Kylian Mbappé is expected to play after recovering from injury. Madrid reached the final without playing as European champions, while Pachuca overcame Botafogo and Al Ahly. Injuries challenge Madrid's lineup, which includes youth players.

Real Madrid is set to face Mexican club Pachuca in the revamped Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday, with star forward Kylian Mbappé anticipated to be fit to play after a left-thigh injury. This iteration of the tournament takes place annually, though a broader Club World Cup is slated for every four years starting 2025.

Madrid automatically qualified for the final as the European champion, while Pachuca navigated past South American stalwart Botafogo and Egypt's Al Ahly in preliminary stages held in Qatar. Despite injury setbacks, including those to key players like Dani Carvajal and Eder Militão, coach Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful about Mbappé's participation.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, having recently recovered from a muscle injury, is also expected to feature, bolstering Madrid's lineup supplemented by its youth squad. Madrid boasts previous successes in both the Intercontinental and Club World Cup, whereas Pachuca has a notable third-place finish in 2017.

(With inputs from agencies.)