The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will play host to this high-voltage FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final tie between European giants Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have clashed several times in the UEFA Champions League in recent years, and now they are set to renew their rivalry on the global stage. The two European giants will face off in the FIFA Club World Cup for a place in the final four, where the winner will take on the winner of the match between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Los Blancos had a sluggish start to the tournament as they played out a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal in their opening fixture. However, they bounced back and secured top spot in their group thanks to wins over CF Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg.

Xabi Alonso’s team squared up against Juventus in the round of 16. While they could only secure a narrow 1-0 win, the team in white did dominate the proceedings, and they were deserved winners. The Spanish giants will be hoping for a similar performance against Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund also started their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense. But thanks to wins over Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD, they managed to secure the top spot in the group.

Dortmund faced Sergio Ramos’s Monterrey in the round of 16. While the Mexican club had more of the ball and created more chances, the Bundesliga outfit were more clinical in the final third. Against Real Madrid, they will have to put up a much-improved performance if they want to make it to the last four. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Real Madrid

Los Blancos do not have any fresh injury concerns, so Xabi Alonso certainly has a lot of options to choose from, even though David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy are still unavailable.

Kylian Mbappe, who came off the bench in their last outing, could be handed a start ahead of Gonzalo Garcia, despite the youngster registering four goal contributions so far.

Alonso will most likely stick to the 3-5-2 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. In the heart of the defence, Aurelien Tchouameni will start alongside Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen.

Fran Garcia and Trent Alexander-Arnold will continue to feature as the wing-backs. In the centre of the park, skipper Federico Valverde will start alongside Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler. In the final third, Mbappe will partner with Vinicius Junior.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Courtois; Rudiger, Tchouameni, Huijsen; Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Valverde, Guler, Garcia; Mbappe, Vinicius

Borussia Dortmund

Jobe Bellingham won’t be able to square up against his brother as he is suspended for this fixture, having picked up a second yellow last time out. Apart from him, Borussia Dortmund are also without the services of Emre Can, Salih Ozcan and Nico Schlotterbeck against Real Madrid.

Niko Kovac will stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Gregor Kobel will be in goal. In the heart of the defence, Niklas Sule will partner with Waldemar Anton and Ramy Bensebaini.

The back three will look to keep things compact at the back, and they will receive significant support from the likes of Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson, who will feature as the wing-backs.

Felix Nmecha and Pascal Gross will take charge as the two central midfielders. They will look to ensure the Real Madrid midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. Marcel Sabitzer and Karim Adeyemi will be the two attacking midfielders behind Serhou Guirassy, who will be leading the line.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Nmecha, Gross, Svensson; Sabitzer, Adeyemi; Guirassy

Key Stats

• Real Madrid have won eight out of their 16 matches against Borussia Dortmund in all competitions. The German giants have only won three of those fixtures.
• The two teams squared up against each other in the Champions League final during the 2023/24 season, and the team in white secured an easy 2-0 win. They met again in last season’s league phase as Los Blancos registered a 5-2 win.
• The German club are heading into this fixture on the back of an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
• Los Blancos haven’t suffered defeat in any of their last seven games. They have won six of those fixtures and have scored at least two goals in five of them.
• Borussia Dortmund have found the back of the net at least thrice in seven of their last ten outings.

Player to Watch

Kylian Mbappe

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Mbappe had a 22-minute cameo in Real Madrid’s Round of 16 clash against Juventus, and he is now expected to be in the starting XI ahead of Gonzalo Garcia, who has been one of their standout performers in the tournament. The France skipper will certainly have a point to prove, given that the youngster he is set to replace has registered four goal contributions in the competition.

The 26-year-old enjoyed an exceptional debut campaign at Real Madrid, scoring 43 goals and providing five assists in 56 appearances. Given the kind of form he was in last season, Mbappe will be eager to pick up right where he left off.

Prediction

Real Madrid 3-1 Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid will head into this quarter-final clash as clear favourites. Xabi Alonso’s side have looked more balanced and in control with each passing game in the tournament, and the return of Kylian Mbappe to the starting XI could make them even more dangerous.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund will have to be at their absolute best if they wish to spring a surprise. While they have done well to reach this stage, their performance against Monterrey exposed a few vulnerabilities. With Jobe Bellingham suspended and several key players missing, Niko Kovac’s men will have to dig deep.

Their best bet will be to remain compact and hit Madrid on the counter, but even then, it might not be enough to stop this high-flying Spanish side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the team in white.