FIFA Club World Cup: Power Ranking the Last 6 Sides in Morocco
Real Madrid's La Liga match with Almeria has been pushed up to Friday.
The reason? Los Blancos will shortly depart for Morocco, where they'll enter the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup at the semi-final round.
The annual tournament kicked off on Wednesday with a play-in duel between Moroccan title holders Moghreb Tetouan and OFC Champions League winners Auckland City.
The New Zealand outfit prevailed on penalties, which means—rather appropriately—that the remainder of the competition will be contested between the six continental champions.
On Saturday afternoon, Auckland City will face Algeria's ES Setif. That evening, Mexico's Cruz Azul will go up against Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Auckland City-ES Setif winner will face San Lorenzo in the Marrakesh semi-final on Wednesday, and the team that comes out of the Cruz Azul-Western Sydney Wanderers quarter-final will square off against Real Madrid in Rabat on Tuesday.
Marrakesh will host the final on Saturday, December 20.
The six remaining sides in the Club World Cup are power-ranked in the following slideshow.
6. Auckland City, OFC Champions League Winners
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This is Auckland City's record-extending sixth FIFA Club World Cup.
They previously participated in 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and until Wednesday their only victory in the tournament was a 2-0 win over United Arab Emirates side Al Ahli in the UAE in 2009.
But they managed to beat the host nation at this instalment—Tim Payne, John Irving, Darren White and Sanni Issa scored from the spot following a scoreless draw with Moghreb Tetouan.
How they qualified: OFC Champions League winners, beating Amicale of Vanuatu in the final.
Player to watch: Emiliano Tade, who scored in both legs against Amicale.
Next match: 13 December vs. ES Setif.
5. Western Sydney Wanderers, AFC Champions League Winners
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Western Sydney Wanderers are making their debut appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup after winning their first AFC Champions League title in November.
Managed by former Crystal Palace and Australia defender Tony Popovic, they've endured a woeful start to the 2014-15 season and presently sit dead-last in the A-League after nine rounds with only six goals scored.
Mark Bridge and Tomi Juric have together accounted for four of them.
Wanderers will need a decisive turnaround in form if they're to pose any sort of problem for Cruz Azul in Rabat.
How they qualified: AFC Champions League winners, beating Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal in the final.
Player to watch: Ante Covic, whose heroics between the sticks kept Al-Hilal from scoring.
Next match: 13 December vs. Cruz Azul.
4. ES Setif, CAF Champions League Winners
3 of 6Upon leaving for Morocco, ES Setif were three points off the top of Algeria's Ligue 1 and, along with USM Alger and MO Bejaia, had posted the best defensive record in the division through 13 rounds.
They've lost just one of their last six matches entering Saturday's showdown with Auckland City and prevailed 1-0 over CR Belouizdad in their most recent encounter—Mohamed Benyettou scored from the penalty spot with four minutes remaining.
Midfielder El Hedi Belameiri, who was trained at French club Metz, was joint-top scorer during the 2014 Champions League campaign with six goals.
How they qualified: CAF Champions League winners, beating Democratic Republic of Congo's AS Vita Club in the final.
Player to watch: Sofiane Younes, who scored in both CAF Champions League semi-final legs against TP Mazembe.
Next match: 13 December vs. Auckland City.
3. San Lorenzo, Copa Libertadores Winners
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San Lorenzo have already completed their 2014 Torneo de Transicion campaign and are assured an eighth-place finish in the Argentine top flight.
Fortunes can change quickly in South American football, however. With defender Santiago Gentiletti having joined Lazio, the Ciclon will enter the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup without one of the key contributors from their successful Copa Libertadores campaign.
Midfielder Ignacio Piatti, who played the first leg of the final against Nacional, has also since left the club for Montreal of Major League Soccer.
But in veteran centre-back Mario Yepes, attacker Nestor Ortigoza and No. 10 Leandro Romagnoli, the 15-time Argentine champions should still be capable of making a mark in Morocco.
Manager Edgardo Bauza took Liga de Quito to the 2008 final against Manchester United.
How they qualified: Copa Libertadores winners, beating Nacional of Paraguay in the final.
Player to watch: Gonzalo Veron, who continues to round into form following an ACL injury.
Next match: 17 December vs. either Auckland City or ES Setif.
2. Cruz Azul, CONCACAF Champions League Winners
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We've ranked them second in this exercise, but Cruz Azul can't make the Marrakesh final unless they beat Real Madrid in Rabat—and that's not going to happen.
Nevertheless, the CONCACAF champions will be looking to give Los Blancos a good game—and to that end they'll be relying heavily on Mexico goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona.
Defender Julio Dominguez, who was included in the Mexico squad for recent friendlies against the Netherlands and Belarus, will also be a key player for La Maquina, as will veteran midfielders Gerardo Torrado and Pablo Barrera and playmaker Marco Fabian, whose goal in a match with Puebla last February was on the list for the Puskas Award.
That said, Cruz Azul finished 13th in the 2014 Apertura and missed out on the play-offs.
How they qualified: CONCACAF Champions League winners, beating Toluca in the final.
Player to watch: Marco Fabian, who won Olympic Gold with Cruz Azul manager Luis Fernando Tena.
Next match: 13 December vs. Western Sydney Wanderers.
1. Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League Winners
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With Tuesday's Champions League win over Ludogorets, Real Madrid established a Spanish record by winning an 18th match in succession.
Two points clear of Barcelona atop La Liga, it seems as though the 10-time European champions are well near invincible. And Ballon d'Or finalist Cristiano Ronaldo has already scored 30 goals this term (in 22 matches).
If Real Madrid take the Club World Cup seriously, they'll win it at a canter. If they don't, they'll find themselves in tough matches against opponents out to make a name for themselves.
They have only to look at Liverpool, Barcelona and Chelsea as previous examples.
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League winners, beating Atletico Madrid in the final.
Player to watch: Isco, who will be making his return from injury in Morocco.
Next match: 16 December vs. either Cruz Azul or Auckland City.
