Tropical storm forces Real Madrid plane to circle Virginia for an hour before landing

A delayed take-off hampered the Real Madrid squad as they travelled by plane to New York ahead of their Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening. AS report Los Blancos had decided to train in Palm Beach, Florida before the game and the travel chaos meant the aircraft departed an hour late and then had to circle in Virginia airspace for another hour due to congestion before finally touching down.

Due to the ordeal, Real Madrid canceled a planned press conference involving manager Xabi Alonso and players Federico Valverde, Thibaut Courtois and Jacobo Ramon. Their preparations for the semi-final have been hit while Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a more relaxed build-up, training at Rutgers University in northern New Jersey.

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It's set to be another scorching day in New York, with temperatures expected to be as high as 33°. Weather conditions throughout the Club World Cup have been stifling for players, while kick-off times had to be pushed back for certain games in the group stage due to heavy rain and storms.

Real Madrid will hope their journey hasn't been too energy-sapping ahead of what promises to be a fascinating semi-final against PSG. The French treble winners outclassed Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, while Madrid were victorious in a 3-2 thriller against Borussia Dortmund.