Club World Cup: Real Madrid vs Dortmund – Preview, lineups, our tips

Real Madrid have so far stayed undefeated at the 2025 Club World Cup under Xabi Alonso’s command, and with Kylian Mbappé back and up to speed after a 1–0 win over Juventus, the defending champs shape as favourites to beat Dortmund.

Here’s the Sporting Base’s guide and insights for this all-important quarterfinal match-up.

How to watch

• When: Sunday, 6am (AEST)
• Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
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Expected lineups

• Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Güler, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius
• Borussia Dortmund (4-3-2-1): Kobel, Süle, Anton, Bensebaini, Ryerson, Nmecha, Gross, Svensson, Brandt, Adeyemi, Guirassy

Real Madrid vs. Dortmund prediction

Real Madrid step out into this quarterfinal as leading favourites, with Dortmund’s mixed wins through groups and the Round of 16 suggesting they’re not quite up to tempo in the U.S. Though they’ve claimed early advantage in several matches, notably against Mamaleodi Sundowns in groups and Monterrey last round, they barely held on in both to win 2–1 and 4–3 respectively.

A lot of that is because Dortmund wants to play a high-tempo press, enforcing pressure across the pitch, but Madrid’s talent from Rudiger and Valverde to Bellingham and Vinicius, that’s unlikely to work as perfectly; Madrid will make them pay even more than Sundowns and Monterrey.

Also hugely relevant for this clash is the fact French superstar Kylian Mbappé returned from illness off the bench against Juventus; with more time under his belt, it’s all the more likely he may be a late entry in the Alonso’s matchday XI.

The biggest question mark we had around Madrid was whether the star-packed squad would gel with Alonso’s ideology and a half-dozen games into the Club World Cup, this Sporting Base writer thinks we have an answer — Madrid is very clearly a title threat for the multi-conference competition and should go through to the semifinals this weekend.

• Our prediction: Real Madrid 2–0 Dortmund
• Goalscorer tip: Kylian Mbappé
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