Xabi Alonso has already told Arda Güler for the match against Al Hilal: 'You're going to...'

Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal this Wednesday, starting at 9:00 p.m. (Spanish time zone), in the first match of this "new" Club World Cup that's generating great excitement during these opening days. Only the most pessimistic—and the failures—find fault with a tournament in which they, due to their blunders and sporting failures, aren't present.

Tonight's match will be Xabi Alonso's first test as the new coach of Madrid, and the coach, who appeared at a press conference on Tuesday night, didn't avoid any debate ahead of the match against Al-Hilal. "Tomorrow the moment of truth begins, the 'rock and roll,' we'll have to see it," said the coach from Tolosa.

With the main doubt for the starting eleven being Kylian Mbappé, who didn't train this Tuesday due to a feverish illness he contracted in recent hours, Xabi is gradually becoming clear about what he wants for his Madrid. Kylian isn't feeling very well, and it was better for him not to join; we'll see how he evolves and tomorrow we'll decide. We'll wait for him until the last moment," he commented.

The possible absence of the French striker, who has won the Golden Boot and the Pichichi Trophy in his first year as a Madrid player, could make room for Rodrygo Goes, whom Xabi himself also supported after being criticized in recent weeks. The fact that the "11" will play up front alongside Vinicius opens up a range of options for the midfield.

Güler gains ground

While it seems that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, two of the reinforcements Madrid made in the special transfer market enabled by FIFA before the World Cup, will be starters, it's also clear that the engine room will feature a more defensive double pivot. Aurélien Thcouameni and Fede Valverde will be responsible for containing the team.

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham could take on his new role as a creative midfielder that Xabi may have envisioned for him. The "5" could start on the left wing, while the main new feature would be on the right wing, which would go to Arda Güler. The Turk is a footballer very much to the Basque's liking, who already wanted him for Bayer Leverkusen, but Güler refused to go out on loan both last year and this one.

Xabi himself was very talkative with Güler during Tuesday's training session, during the fifteen minutes the session was open to the public.  The Ottoman could start out as an essential piece for the new coach's project, who is aware that he has a diamond in the rough in his hands that needs to be cared for.