Ahead of the second round of the Club World Cup group stage between Al Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg, Al Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi expressed his regret over the absence of Barcelona from this year’s tournament.
This season, Barcelona performed impressively in domestic competitions, sweeping all three major trophies — La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup — and played out a thrilling two-legged UEFA Champions League semifinal against Inzaghi’s former side, Inter Milan.
“So far, this Club World Cup has been fantastic. All the top clubs are here — except for Barça,” said the Italian coach.
Despite their dominant La Liga run and reaching the Champions League semifinals, Barça missed out on the inaugural expanded Club World Cup due to its qualification rules, which are based on performances in previous seasons.