Back in December, Los Blancos triumphed in a 3-0 win to claim the Intercontinental Cup, a rebrand from the Club World Cup as the latter was being revamped to the tournament currently being played.
On that occasion, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. were all on target for Carlo Ancelotti's side, in what was a comprehensive showing against a team that had beaten Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo on the way to the final.
The Mexican side qualified for this summer's showpiece courtesy of winning the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, and they're also under new direction with Jaime Lozano as the interim manager after the departure of Guillermo Almada.
Lozano will understand the task set before him and his players, particularly when one considers their record against European opponents. Thus far, the Liga MX outfit haven't managed to win a single match against teams from the continent.
Pachuca's poor record against European teams
Two draws and three losses are the sum total of their efforts so far; 0-0 vs PSV Eindhoven and 3-4 vs Celta Vigo in 2017, 1-1 vs Real Oviedo in 2023, the aforementioned 3-0 loss to Real Madrid at the end of 2024 and the most recent being a 2-1 defeat to RB Salzburg in their CWC opener.
Los Blancos come into this match in fine form, having only lost one of their last six in all competitions - the late-season El Clasico fixture against Barcelona - though the draw with Al Hilal, which ended Real’s perfect record against Saudi Arabian teams, will have stung.
The Spanish giants had been on the ropes in the early stages of that match, and only a linesman’s flag stopped them going behind, before Gonzalo Garcia scuffed home the opener for the LaLiga side.
Parity was soon restored with a penalty, converted by Ruben Neves, though another spot-kick, this time for Real, at the end of the game, should’ve seen them take all three points.
A super Yassine Bounou save from Federico Valverde capped a disappointing night for Real, for whom Trent Alexander-Arnold had a mixed debut.
By the time he was subbed, the former Liverpool ace had delivered more crosses (five) and made more passes in the final third (16) than any of his teammates, but had also lost possession more than anyone else (12 times).
Arda Guler, meanwhile, will have given Alonso food for thought ahead of this encounter after a solid second-half cameo.
Salomon Rondon will lead the charge against Real Madrid
By comparison, Pachuca have lost three of their last six, drawing one and winning two.
At 35 years of age, Salomon Rondon, who has a wealth of European experience himself, will be tasked with leading the charge against a team that were Champions League winners just over a year ago.
Against a player as able and mobile as Dean Huijsen, Rondon will certainly have his work cut out, and he'll need to use all of the tools in his armoury if he wants to succeed.
He can at least call upon form which served him well during the 2024/25 season when he scored 15 goals and assisted five more - the most goal contributions in the whole of Liga MX during the campaign.
His 102 shots were also more than twice as many as any of his teammates, suggesting that Rondon is more than happy to put in a shift in attack in order to earn the rewards.
He proved to be a handful for Salzburg on Wednesday night, almost giving his side the lead after 10 minutes, and again after half an hour, but on both occasions he was denied by Salzburg keeper Christian Zawieschitzky.
Intriguing individual battles could tip the balance
After going behind, Bryan Gonzalez got Pachuca back into the game, and though the Mexican outfit went on to lose the game thanks to Karim Onisiwo’s 75th-minute goal, they showed enough doggedness to give Real cause for concern.
That goal was Salzburg’s first shot of the second half, coming 33 minutes after Oscar Gloukh’s 42nd-minute attempt, between which Pachuca had six shots of their own.
77.5% possession in the final 15 minutes of the game for the beaten side also evidenced a team not willing to give up until the final whistle is blown.
Sunday’s match should certainly see its fair share of intriguing battles too.
The young defensive pairing of Raul Asencio and Huijsen will have their hands full against Rondon, whilst Agustin Palavecino will have to limit Federico Valverde’s energy and pass completion (96.2% against Al Hilal).
Trent could also see his forays upfield limited as both opposite numbers, Gonzalez and ex-Chelsea ace Kenedy, are likely to get forward as often as possible.
The latter had the most touches of any Pachuca player (six) in the Salzburg penalty area, whilst the former had the joint second most shots in the game (three).
Given the respective positions of both sides in the group, Xabi Alonso will surely want to see an improvement in all aspects, including possession and control of the ball, after posting just a 52% share against Al Hilal.
