Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund: Club World Cup preview, team news & predicted lineups

Here is our preview of Saturday’s Club World Cup quarter-finals clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, including the latest injury updates and predicted lineups.

It hasn’t always been convincing, but Borussia Dortmund are in the Club World Cup quarter-finals after a 2-1 win over Monterrey in the early hours of Wednesday (03:00 CEST).

Dominant in the first half, the Black and Yellows went into the break 2-0 up thanks to a Serhou Guirassy brace. But they were made to work hard for the victory after Monterrey pulled one back shortly after the restart.

A similar pattern played out in their second group-stage match, where Kovač’s side raced into a 4-1 lead against South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns, but allowed their opponents back into the contest before eventually edging a nervy 4-3 win.

With European giants Real Madrid awaiting in the quarter-finals, Dortmund know they’ll need to tighten up if they want to stand a chance.

The two teams last met in the 2024/25 Champions League league stage, where Real Madrid overturned a 0-2 deficit to win 5-2, powered by a second-half hat-trick from Vinicius Junior – a warning sign of what could happen if Dortmund don’t stay focused and compact for the full 90 minutes.

“We want to press high and put the opponent under pressure. But especially against a team like Real Madrid, who have so much pace in their ranks, we need to find a better balance – otherwise it will be dangerous,” warned goalkeeper Gregor Kobel after the win over Monterrey.

As for Madrid, Xabi Alonso’s reign began with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Al Hilal but has since gathered momentum with wins over Pachuca (3-1), RB Salzburg (3-0) and most recently a 1-0 victory over Juventus in the round of 16.

French star Kylian Mbappé returned from illness to come off the bench in that game and could now be fit enough to start against Dortmund.

“I think day by day he will get better, and by the time of the quarters, he should be in much better shape. We’ll keep checking in with him every day,” said Alonso, who has no fresh injury concerns after the Juventus game.

However, Xabi Alonso may opt to let Mbappé come off the bench again and hand another start to Gonzalo García, who has impressed with three goals and an assist at the Club World Cup.

Jobe Bellingham has hit the ground running for Dortmund since his move from Sunderland, but won’t get the chance to face his older brother Jude in the quarter-final due to suspension. 

Meanwhile, Jamie Gittens is unlikely to feature for BVB with his move to Chelsea close to being finalized.

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund: Predicted lineups

Real Madrid: Courtois – Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Fede Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham – Güler, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior.

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel – Süle, Anton, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Nmecha, Gross, Svensson – Brandt, Adeyemi – Guirassy.