We are within touching distance of a sensational achievement, but nothing is certain. The current Group H table at the FIFA Club World Cup has our boys positioned promisingly in second, level on points with upcoming opponents Real Madrid (four each) and as things stand, two points ahead of Al-Hilal in the battle to make the last 16. There are several scenarios that would see us hold onto that spot after the final group stage match.
- Scenario 1: We win against Real Madrid and top the group.
- Scenario 2: We draw against Real Madrid and the Spanish side finish ahead of us due to their better goal difference. A high-scoring draw of 2-2 or more would see us seal second place, but a 1-1 or 0-0 draw would leave us waiting on the other result in the group. We would then need Al-Hilal to fail to beat Pachuca for us to remain second - that's the most straightforward case, at least. In the case of a 1-1 draw, Al-Hilal would have to win by a two-goal margin or win while scoring at least three goals to knock us out. A 2-1 win for Al-Hilal while we draw 1-1 could even mean the fair play rankings would decide all. Simone Inzaghi's side currently have one more yellow card than our boys.
- The exact table rules from FIFA can be READ HERE IN DETAIL.
- Scenario 3: Pachuca take at least a point off Al-Hilal, and regardless of our result against Real Madrid, we make the next round.
In any case, we can look forward to a dramatic encounter when we face Real Madrid, no less, on Thursday evening in Philadelphia (21:00 local time, 03:00 Friday morning Austrian time). You can watch the clash for free on DAZN as usual or follow it on our live text updates.
