Real Madrid look forward to ending the calendar year on a high note by taking home the FIFA Club World Cup trophy on Sunday. Zinedine Zidane's league of extraordinary gentlemen take on Japanese side Kashima Antlers in Yokohama, Japan, with only hotshot Gareth Bale missing out of the game. UPDATES FROM THE MATCH HERE....
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, who scored each in Real Madrid's previous Club World Cup game against Mexico's Club America, are available for this game as well.
Antlers, meanwhile, not only are representing the hosts but they are also the first Asian side ever to make it to the FIFA Club World Cup final. They won the J1 League earlier this month to enter the tournament.
While Real Madrid have played only one match in the tournament so far, Kashima Antlers enter the final with wins over Auckland City, Mamelodi Sundowns and Atletico Nacional.
"This competition is of the utmost importance to us," mentioned Real Madrid legend Zidane and the current coach of the La Liga side, to UEFA. We've come to Japan to try and win it and we're going to do our best. We'll need to play good football, do what we know.
"It will be a difficult game; Kashima make it difficult for us, but we're ready. Maybe in the first game we weren't our usual selves because of the travel, the adaptation to new training, the pitch. The [2-0 semi-final win] against América was tough, but we're ready to play the final."
Schedule
Real Madrid vs Kashima Antlers is set to get under way at 5:30 am EST (4 pm IST, 10:30 am GMT) on December 18.
Where to watch live
India: TV - Neo Sports, Neo Prime
UK: Not available
US: TV - Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes. Live streaming: Fox Sports Go
Spain: TV - TVE La 1
Japan: TV - NTV, DAZN
Live score: Twitter.
