Who are Liverpool’s Club World Cup opponents Monterrey, where are they from and what titles have they won?
LIVERPOOL have learnt their Club World Cup semi-final opponents, Monterrey.
Los Rayados beat Al-Sadd 3-2 to make it into the Last Four and face the Champions League winners on Wednesday.
Al Hilal or Flamengo will be waiting for them in the final at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha – but who are Liverpool’s upcoming opponents, Monterrey?
Who are Monterrey?
The Mexican side, full name Club de Futbol Monterrey, were founded on June 28, 1945 – some 53 years after Liverpool were established.
They are currently owned by FEMSA, the largest bottling company in Latin America with Coca-Cola among their clients and had a revenue of around £18bn last year.
Monterrey moved to their 53,500-seater stadium Estadio BBVA, nicknamed The Steel Giant, in 2015
Among their nicknames are Los Rayados, which means The Striped-Ones because of their kit, while La Pandilla, translating to The Gang, was given by a group of executives and a journalist who led the club to safety in 1962.
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Where are they from?
CF Monterrey are from the north of Mexico, in a city by the same name, sitting just 135 miles from the US border.
Monterrey is the captial of the Nuevo Leon state and also hosts Los Rayados’ arch-rivals Tigres UANL.
Among the famous faces to hail from the city include the dos Santos brothers, Giovani and Jonathan – they have Tottenham, Barcelona and Villarreal among their former clubs.
Ex-F1 driver Esteban Guiterrez is also from Monterrey along with Major League Baseball star Jorge de la Rosa.
What titles have they won?
Monterrey earned their place in this year’s Club World Cup after winning the CONCACAF Champions League.
That was their fourth success in the continental competition – all coming since 2011.
This will not be the first time they face an English side in the Club World Cup though, after losing 3-1 to Chelsea in 2012.
Monterrey have also won Liga MX, Mexico’s top flight, on four occasions.
What players do they have?
Not too many well-known faces in the Monterrey side to British fans.
The surname Funes Mori may sound familiar, with defender Ramiro formally of Everton – but it is twin brother Rogelio who could start as a striker against Liverpool.
Miguel Layun will also be hoping to feature, having previously played for Watford, Porto, Sevilla and Villarreal.
Yet, one name that will be instantly, if not infamously, noticed by Tottenham supporters in Vincent Janssen, the Dutch striker who struggled with injuries and only scored two Premier League goals in three years.