Benzema and Real Madrid train for Club World Cup title clash with Al Hilal - in pictures

European champions Real Madrid will be looking to add another trophy to their cabinet when they face Al Hilal in the Club World Cup final in Morocco on Saturday.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti hoped the title match will be a turning point for Real after a difficult season punctuated by injuries and player fatigue.

Real are chasing a number of trophies this season in the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey. Madrid lost the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona in January and have fallen eight points behind their rivals in the league title race.

Winning their second trophy of the season, after lifting the Uefa Super Cup in August, would boost morale in the Spanish capital.

"Getting here has been very difficult, we have made many sacrifices but we are here, like this club always are, so today is a day to be excited," Ancelotti said.

"It's a key moment of the season. When you arrive in contention in February... March, is always a decisive time. And we are here as always.

"The Club World Cup is a very important challenge, we are very close to a title that is very important and to be here is a sign that you were successful.

"I will ask my players to go and enjoy themselves in the final because if they enjoy we will do well."

Karim Benzema and defender Eder Militao joined Madrid in Rabat after they missed the 4-1 win against Egyptian club Al Ahly on Wednesday due to injury. Ancelotti said it was still unclear whether they will be ready to play in the final. If Benzema can’t play, Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodygo will likely be tasked with leading the attack.

Saudi side Al Hilal stunned Brazil’s Flamengo in the semi-finals and stand in the way of Madrid collecting a fifth title in the competition.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Benzema and Real Madrid train for Club World Cup title clash with Al Hilal - in pictures

Carlo Ancelotti's team chasing fifth title in competition in Morocco on Saturday