FC Bayern have reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup for the second time since 2013. The German record champions will face Mexican representatives Tigres UANL at the Education City Stadium in al Rayyan on Thursday evening (7pm CET). The reigning CONCACAF Champions League winners had somewhat surprisingly beaten Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras 1-0 in the semi-finals. Earlier, Asian Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai were also knocked out of the competition, losing 2-1.
Reunion with cup winner Salcedo
André-Pierre Gignac has scored all three of the Mexican side's goals in the Club World Cup so far - two of them from the penalty spot. The Frenchman has been at Tigres since 2015, having previously played for Toulouse and Olympique Marseille. Before the World Cup, Gignac met with Bayern player and compatriot Lucas Hernández for a virtual chat. Also well-known in Germany is Tigres centre-back Carlos Salcedo, who played for Eintracht Frankfurt between 2017 and 2019 and won the DFB Cup against FC Bayern in 2018.
For Tigres, it is their first ever participation in a FIFA Club World Cup. After three unsuccessful final appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League in 2016, 2017 and 2019, Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferretti's team finally won the tournament at the fourth time of asking last year. They beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 in the final to qualify for the tournament, held at the home of the hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Five league titles in the last ten years
Under Ferretti, who is coaching the team for the third time and has been at the helm since 2010, Tigres are enjoying their most successful era. They have won their domestic league seven times, with five of them under Ferretti's leadership. The team from Monterrey finished top of the 2019 Liga MX. This campaign, they are eighth after five matches, three points off top, but with a game in hand on their league rivals due to Tigres' involvement in the Club World Cup.
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