La Liga giants Real Madrid will go to the Hard Rock Stadium to challenge Al-Hilal in the first round of the 2025 Club World Cup Group H. This is also the first time that Xabi Alonso will lead Real Madrid in the game. Xabi Alonso said that he is very much looking forward to the performance of the players and called on the players to play hard with the desire to win.

The 43-year-old Xabi Alonso previously coached Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and led the team to win the Bundesliga championship with an unbeaten record in the 2023/24 season. With the departure of Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso was appointed as the new coach of Real Madrid last month.

Xabi Alonso said, "We have been here for a few days and we will adapt better and everything will work better. We have to be aware of our situation, keep the ball in the game and become a better team when we recover. We have put a lot of thought into this and I feel that the players are full of desire after closing a chapter. The team has some new faces and the timing is just right for everyone."

“It’s vital to maintain balance and commitment, and everyone needs to be involved in every phase. The distance between the players and the closeness of the team will make everything easier, and we will try to be efficient in the game until the last day. The game will tell us a lot, and tomorrow is the starting point.”

Xabi Alonso also said, "We must maintain the desire to win, the determination to play hard, and respect ourselves and defend the team badge. This team already has all of this. We will also add some details and we must participate in the game as a team."

"Real Madrid enters every competition as a possible contender for the title and we come here with that ambition. We haven't thought about the final yet, but everything will go well. We want to move forward and feel that we are building a team and realizing how we want to compete and play. We will definitely have shortcomings, but we must not get upset and must keep moving forward."

When discussing what it's like to coach Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso shared, "The excitement to start this project is huge and it's a great moment for everyone. I'm happy to be with them at this stage because we will continue to improve in many aspects and we are all looking forward to it. The team has been training well, but I hope to see how the team performs in the games. The games will tell us a lot, and everything we want to achieve will take time."

It is worth mentioning that former Inter Milan coach Inzaghi officially coached Al-Hilal earlier, and this is the first time that Inzaghi led Al-Hilal to participate in the game.

Xabi Alonso said, "We must prepare in the best way, the opponent will be strong, but we must focus on ourselves. We don't know how they will play because Inzaghi has not led this team in the game. They are a team with many excellent players, and they have a top coach who has just participated in the Champions League final. This is a fierce challenge for us."