Hosts Al Ain are now just one match away from realising their dreams at the Club World Cup and facing Real Madrid.

There is one major obstacle to clear, however. Copa Libertadores conquerors River Plate stand in their way at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium for Tuesday’s engrossing first semi-final.

A substantial step-up in class awaits after the Boss struggled past the amateurs of Team Wellington in a penalty shootout, then emphatically dismissed CAF Champions League holders Esperance de Tunis with a rousing 3-0 quarter-final triumph.

Here are the key players:

RIVER PLATE

Gonzalo Martinez

Position: Left winger

Age: 25

A swansong awaits Martinez in the UAE.

Major League Soccer champions Atlanta United are up next after the $17 million release clause in his River contract was met earlier this month. This outlay follows Martinez’s ascension as the latest playmaker produced by River’s famous production line.

Initial struggles after a $4m switch from mid-table Huracan saw his car vandalised and boos reign down from the Monumental stands. Long before he pounced for the third in the belated Liberadores decider against Boca Juniors, he’d become a River idol.

Al Ain must be on their guard.

Exequiel Palacios

Position: Centre midfield

Age: 20

No other play on the pitch this midweek will garner more attention than Palacios.

The 20-year-old has emerged this year as a talent of rare ability, for club and country. A move to Real Madrid – probable final opponents in the Emirates – seems just a matter of time, though this won’t stop rampant interest in acquiring his services.

Palacios dominates the game, boasting remarkable intensity and stamina from box-to-box.

It will be the major task of Al Ain anchors Tongo Doumbia and Ahmed Barman to keep a lid one of football’s emergent stars.

AL AIN

Hussein El Shahat

Position: Winger

Age: 27

Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic is a lucky man to count El Shahat among his squad.

The Egypt international can be utilised in nearly every position – from right-back, to all across the midfield and even up top – and will still deliver a stellar performance. In less than a year in the Garden City, he’s notched 13 goals and 13 assists across 23 Arabian Gulf League matches for the reigning champions.

His ability to exhibit rare technical proficiency at top speed was on show for a delightful second against Esperance. River are warned.

Ismail Ahmed

Position: Centre-back

Age: 35

One of Asia’s best centre-backs of the decade still keeps on chugging away.

Ahmed provides a towering presence in defence and is a born leader. An ability to dominate physically has seen a plethora of forwards left crushed in his wake in the UAE’s top flight.

He will relish a straight-up battle with the pugilistic Lucas Pratto. Where he will be tested, however, is when the likes of the diminutive Martinez and Colombia substitute Juan Fernando Quintero bound off the flanks in search of space.

Ahmed must be on his toes to guard against this threat.