Preview

Jul

2025

Preview: Chelsea and PSG face off in Club World Cup Final

Love it or loathe it, the new-look FIFA Club World Cup has produced some good moments and plenty of talking points. It all comes to a climax on Sunday, with Chelsea kicking-off against French and European champions PSG.

By Alex Roberts

Both sides have played arguably the best football at the tournament, although PSG’s route to the final has been a little trickier than Chelsea’s. Of course, any side that beats Real Madrid 4-0 has to be considered favourites.

Unstoppable force vs immovable object

With Moisés Caicedo back in training and seemingly fit to face PSG, he will come up against another midfielder that has made a name for himself as one of the best ball winners in the game, João Neves.

Neves has undergone quite the transformation since joining the French giants. While at Benfica, he was more creative, under Luis Enrique, his tenacity and undying engine have seen him become more of a N’Golo Kanté.

*Club World Cup defensive numbers comparison*

He was absolutely everywhere in the win over Real Madrid, winning the most duels (7) and tackles (4) in the game. Caicedo put up similar numbers in the win over Benfica, winning 100% of his tackles, making 10 recoveries, and winning five duels. This game will likely be won in the midfield.

João Pedro!? More like Wow Pedro

Talk about an instant impact. The Brazilian was on a beach in Rio just over a week ago, now he’s arguably Chelsea’s first choice striker. His two goals against Fluminense were superbly taken, a penny for Nicolas Jackson’s thoughts.

He offers a different kind of option to Liam Delap and Jackson. While Delap is more of a Jack Russell Terrier, biting and the ankles of defenders, Pedro relies on his hold-up play and deft touches to create space and strike the ball with venom.

Jackson’s best asset is his movement; he’s just often let down when it comes to actually putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s an exciting time to be a Chelsea fan, and it would be hard for Enzo Maresca to pick anyone other than Pedro to start in this one.

In all but name

PSG don’t need a little badge on their shirt to know they’re the best side in the world at the moment; they’ve proven it over and over again by beating the best of the best. Luis Enrique has done a hell of a job.

Chelsea are on the come up under Enzo Maresca, but PSG have already beaten better sides to get here. They’re only behind Man City in terms of xG with 12.5 and level with them in big chances created with 24.

They’re also so hard to break down. PSG have conceded just one goal in the tournament, coming in their shock 1-0 defeat to Brazilian side Botafogo. Perhaps Chelsea can take inspiration from that game.

Money, Money, Money

It’s no secret the immense amount of cash on offer is the main driving force for clubs in the competition, it’s the name of the modern game. FIFA put up a $1 billion prize pot to be divided between the 32 competing teams.

The winner of this one will have bagged around £70 million for their time at the tournament, which is roughly how much Chelsea pay for any given squad player, it’s quite the motivator for the accountants at least.

We shouldn’t discount professional pride as a motivator; both of these clubs are used to winning and adding another trophy to the cabinet, regardless of what people think, will have the players licking their lips.

Prediction

This is the greatest test in Maresca’s time as Chelsea manager, and we reckon it may just be a step too far. PSG should win this fairly comfortably, 3-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can watch the Club World Cup live on DAZN – watch here for free!

Jul

2025

Preview: Inter Miami look to continue post-Club World Cup bounce against Nashville

It’s a battle between two of the in-form attackers in Major League Soccer as Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on Sam Surridge’s Nashville SC on Saturday night.

By James Nalton

Javier Mascherano’s side are looking to recover ground on the teams ahead of them in the MLS standings following the Club World Cup, and here they have a chance to take points off the one sitting in second place.

Internacional Miami

The Club World Cup has been and gone, for MLS at least, but the international football experience on home soil seems to have given Inter Miami an extra swagger on their return to regular season MLS matches.

When you’ve just beaten Porto and tested yourselves against Paris Saint-Germain, returning to MLS could either be a chore or a chance to show why you were at the Club World Cup in the first place.

Inter Miami have gone down the latter route, following up a 4-1 thrashing of Montréal with a 2-1 win against New England Revolution.

As is often the case in Miami games, the opponents put up good numbers, and the xG suggests the Revolution might have won their recent meeting, but Messi happened.

More Messi records

Messi scored both his side’s goals in New England, adding to the two he scored against Montréal.

From the three games immediately prior to the Club World Cup and the two immediately after, Messi has nine goals and four assists.

His brace against New England followed two-goal hauls against Montréal, Columbus Crew, and Montréal again, and made him the first player in MLS history to score multiple goals in four straight regular-season games.

You wouldn’t bet against him making it five.

The Surridge effect

Not all of the players joining MLS from Europe are high-profile names who create a stir back home on moving to, or indeed playing in, MLS.

Very few of them, though, regardless of profile, have been as successful as Sam Surridge has become this season in Nashville.

Having moved to MLS from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, Surridge’s first season and a half were steady and more than respectable, yielding 20 goals in 47 games in all competitions.

In 2025, though, Surridge has been the most prolific striker in the league, scoring 18 goals in 22 games across MLS and the US Open Cup.

While Messi is making the headlines once again, and making a late push to retain his MVP title from 2024, it is Surridge who tops the MLS goalscoring charts, two ahead of Messi.

Surridge’s tally does include five penalty kicks, but two goals in the Open Cup quarter-final win against DC United on Wednesday take him to 12 goals in his last eight games in all competitions.

There are few more in-form players in the league than Messi and Surridge, while Nashville still have a former MVP of their own in Hany Mukhtar, who could also cause Miami problems.

Prediction

If this were in Tennessee, you might fancy Nashville, but at home in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons should do enough to get a draw, with goals for both sides, as is almost always the case in games involving Inter Miami.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Midweek New England test for Inter Miami

Inter Miami continue their road trip on their return to Major League Soccer action following their involvement in the Club World Cup.

By James Nalton

They will be hoping to follow up a convincing win in Montreal, where Lionel Messi was on top form, with another against New England at Gillette Stadium, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.

Ready for the second half

Inter Miami returned from the Club World Cup in style with a 4-1 win in Canada against CF Montréal.

The home side took the lead within two minutes, but any fears of a Miami hangover from the summer tournament were soon allayed.

By half-time, they were in the lead through goals from Tadeo Allende and Messi. Then, after the break, Telasco Segovia added a third and Messi scored a fourth following a typical, mazy solo run to make it a convincing win.

The goals and the performance could be an indication that Messi and Miami are ready to kick on towards the end of the season in a bid to retain their Supporters’ Shield title.

There are four games in hand for them to work with, and they are ten points off the top of the table, a position currently held by FC Cincinnati.

The Montréal game took them to the halfway point in the regular season, and they will now be looking for a strong second half of the campaign, beginning in New England.

Goals galore

Despite having played fewer games than all other teams in the Eastern Conference (in many cases, four fewer) Inter Miami have still managed to score the most goals in the conference with 40.

Only Western Conference teams San Diego FC and San Jose Earthquakes have scored more than Miami in all of MLS, and both of those Californian teams have played four games more.

It’s this attacking prowess that keeps Javier Mascherano’s team winning games even if they have not been convincing defensively.

Finding the net against New England might not be quite as easy as the league table would have you believe, as despite sitting 11th, only New York City and Philadelphia Union have conceded fewer goals than the Revolution this season.

But that Miami attack will fancy themselves to score against even the best defences in the league.

Opposition watch: New England

Carles Gil remains the standout player for the Revolution and is one of the best players in the league regardless of how well his team are doing overall.

This season, said team performance has been fairly mediocre, and they haven’t won in their last four games, losing three and drawing one.

They do have a couple of games in hand on many teams, though, so have scope to start turning things around.

Despite the below-par league position, Gil has the second-highest FotMob rating in MLS, behind Messi, of course, and has seven goals and four assists this season.

Ignatius Ganago remains out for New England, but they recently extended his loan deal from Nantes until the end of the season. The Revolution will hope Ganago can help fire them toward the playoffs once he returns, but he will not do so against Miami.

Prediction

Another Miami win against another side struggling at the lower end of the table.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

England were second best for the majority of their opening fixture against France and a second defeat against the Dutch would spell an unfathomable early elimination for the defending champions with a game still to play.

Even a draw would leave the Lionesses with an uphill battle and not in control of their own destiny when it comes to reaching the knockouts – on top of winning their own final game against Wales, they would likely have to rely on the other result in the group.

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

The Lionesses won the most recent clash in December 2023, in the UEFA Nations League, coming from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 victory in stoppage time at Wembley Stadium. But the Dutch had won 2-1 in the reverse fixture just a few weeks earlier.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

The Netherlands enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on matchday one that saw Vivianne Miedema score her 100^th international goal – Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova and Barcelona’s Esmee Brugts got the others. But coming into the tournament, they had been frustrated by Scotland (1-1) and thrashed by Germany (4-0) in their two previous competitive games.

Fresh Energy

Wiegman defended her team selection against France, which featured 10 players who were part of the Euro 2022-winning squad from three years ago. “I don’t have regrets. We try to turn every stone before we make the lineup,” she said after the defeat, but equally hasn’t ruled out making changes.

There is a clamour for Michelle Agyemang to get more of an opportunity. The teenager scored a stunner 41 seconds into her senior debut in April and had an impact in a short cameo against France. Her uncompromising style and fearlessness already commands respect from her teammates.

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

All 23 players again trained for England on Tuesday, which had been the case before facing France. Lauren James is building fitness all the time, a significant boost given that they she was the player who looked more likely than any other to make something happen last time out.

There should be plenty of familiarity with the Dutch squad for most of the Lionesses, with more than half (12) of the squad playing their club football in England last season. But that works both ways. “I already know a lot of those girls,” right-back Kerstin Casparij said.

Prediction

The Lionesses started well and finished well against France, it was 70 minutes in the middle that was the problem. They need to be better. The Dutch aren’t as polished all over the pitch as the French, but still possess huge threats and will take confidence from both their own victory over Wales and the nature of England’s opening performance: England 2-2 Netherlands.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: European royalty PSG and Madrid meet in Club World Cup semifinal

Not the final the new version of the Club World Cup deserved, and not the one it will get either – but PSG versus Real Madrid is the titanic type of clash Fifa had in mind for the uber-expanded tournament. A winner here will be favourite for the overall biggest prize of around £90m.

By Karl Matchett

One key tactical matchup

What this semi-final has is one team with a tactical plan they know and love, and another who are experimenting with the likely set-up for next season, with a new boss in place and a few new faces too. The most interesting part of that, in terms of immediate on-pitch impact, is in PSG’s front three against Real Madrid’s back three…or back five, depending on how hard-working they are and how cautious Xabi Alonso wants to be.

If Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García get pinned back in a five to tie down the movement of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, then the Spanish side could really struggle to break out of shape and dominate the match. But if they don’t track back at all or passes from PSG’s deep midfield sail over them, a Real Madrid back three unused to the setup could find themselves in a lot of one-v-one situations.

*Our best rated sides at the Club World Cup*

Defensive differences

It’s not just the direct numbers either. Real haven’t been exactly able to practice Alonso’s preferred system with a regular collection of faces: Éder Militão is still sidelined, Raúl Asencio was sent-off early in the tournament, Dean Huijsen was last time out too. It’s tough to get right on the fly, let alone when you’re facing the world’s most dangerous attacking line of the last few months. Real actually rank in the tournament’s top ten for saves per match and are ninth for highest xG conceded; PSG on the other hand have only seen one goal scored past them at the tournament in total.

Recent form

On the assumption that actual in-season results don’t really have any bearing on this competition, PSG are on a Club World Cup run of four wins and one defeat from their quintet of outings – just Brazilians Botafogo beat them in the groups. Real Madrid drew their opener with Al Hilal and have won four on the trot since then.

Team news

PSG are without two suspended players, centre-back Willian Pacho plus defensive sub Lucas Hernández. Real Madrid have Eduardo Camavinga back in training and former PSG star Kylian Mbappé is back in the fold once more after illness, but Huijsen is suspended after a red card and the likes of Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Endrick are all longer-term injury absentees.

Key player

Vitinha. His ability to shift the ball will test Real’s new alignment, not just through midfield but to the sides of the defence too. He is top for accurate long passes per 90 at the tournament and second only to Rodri in overall accurate passes per 90 – plus he’s top five for expected assists.

Prediction

Possibly the match-up the watching world wanted to see at this tournament: the reigning European champions and the biggest club on the planet. We’ll go for the team who have already celebrated recently: PSG 2-1 Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Don’t forget that all matches from the Club World Cup are shown live on DAZN – watch here for free!

Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

Fresh Energy

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

Prediction

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Fluminense and Chelsea contest the first Club World Cup semifinal

Fluminense and Chelsea go head-to-head in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on Tuesday as both sides edge closer to lifting a trophy after some impressive displays in the competition.

By Matt Smith

A win for either team would set up a final against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, who face each other on Wednesday. It could be another opportunity for Chelsea fans to see new signing João Pedro in action once again, while Fluminense’s vibrant supporters will be hoping to see their team reach the final to face another huge European outfit.

Team news

Suspensions are playing a huge part in the competition so far, and Fluminense will be without centre-back Juan Pablo Freytes and Martinelli, who have both picked up too many yellow cards in this year’s Club World Cup. Thiago Silva is however expected to feature against his former club.

Liam Delap and Levi Colwill will both miss out due to suspension, but we could see Moisés Caicedo return after he was unavailable for the previous game, serving a one-match ban. João Pedro could feature once again, but another new signing, Jamie Gittens, is ineligible.

Fluminense a surprise package

Fluminense have been a bit of a surprise package this competition, and many supporters from Europe might not have expected to see them reach the semi-final. The Brazilian outfit are there on merit, however, beating Inter Milan and Al-Hilal, among others, while also securing an impressive 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Conceding just 0.6 goals per game – a figure only bettered by PSG – Fluminense have shown immense defensive resilience, but they’ll be coming up against a Chelsea side with plenty of attacking talent.

Maresca’s side fluent in attack

As was the case for much of the 2024/2025 Premier League season, Enzo Maresca’s side have looked fluent in attack at the Club World Cup. Scoring 2.4 goals per game, a host of Chelsea’s attacking stars have chipped in with goals, but they’ll need to start controlling their temper to avoid further suspensions.

The Blues have picked up 12 yellow cards in the competition, with only Fluminense and Benfica managing more. We could be set for a fiery encounter in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Pedro Neto finding form

Chelsea have been linked with a host of attacking players this summer, and we’ve already seen three arrive through the door. What this means for some of Maresca’s current options in the final third remains to be seen, but Pedro Neto is one player who appears to be relishing the extra competition.

The Portuguese forward has struck three times so far and has been a constant threat out wide for Chelsea. Neto might count himself unlucky not to have a couple of assists to his name, and he’s certainly made a case to start the remaining games in the competition.

Prediction

It’s been an impressive tournament so far for Fluminense, but we’re going for a narrow 2-1 victory to Chelsea in this one.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob this summer — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: The Gold Cup final between the US and Mexico

Mauricio Pochettino’s USA can complete a resurgent Gold Cup campaign by beating rivals Mexico in Sunday’s showdown in Houston.

By Graham Ruthven

A rivalry resumed

Matches between Mexico and the USA always matter, but Sunday’s meeting between the two CONCACAF rivals will be played with even more at stake.

Not only is the 2025 Gold Cup up for grabs, Mexico and USA are preparing for the 2026 World Cup on home soil and so Sunday’s match will be analysed through the prism of what it will mean for the tournament a year from now.

*Last five meetings between USA and Mexico*

Mauricio Pochettino has been without many of his best players including Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie this summer, but others such as Diego Luna and Malik Tillman have stepped up in their place.

Mexico ground out a win over Honduras in their semi-final to secure a place in Sunday’s Gold Cup final with Javier Aguirre’s team currently on a run of four straight clean sheets in the competition.

El Tri are just one win away from successfully defending the Gold Cup title they won two years ago. They are widely seen as favourites to lift the trophy again.

Key players

Luna produced his best performance in a US jersey in the 2-1 semi-final victory over Guatemala, scoring both goals to get his team through a tricky test. His second goal in particular was an excellent piece of attacking play.

Tillman has also proved himself as a difference-maker for the USA at the 2025 Gold Cup, scoring three goals in four games. The PSV attacking midfielder will pose a threat against Mexico on Sunday.

Chris Richards has stood out as the USA’s dominant defensive presence while Tyler Adams has featured in every game he has been fit for at the base of Pochettino’s midfield.

Raúl Jiménez scored the only goal of the game as Mexico beat Honduras with the Fulham striker still El Tri’s sharpest attacking threat. Gilberto Mora set up Jiménez and the 16-year-old has been the breakout star of the 2025 Gold Cup.

Edson Álvarez will hold things together for Aguirre’s team in the centre of the pitch while César Montes and Johan Vásquez are expected to start once again in central defence, giving El Tri a solid foundation.

Team news

Johnny Cardoso has been nursing an ankle injury for much of the 2025 Gold Cup, but could be back on the USA bench for the final having returned to training this week. It’s very unlikely the Real Betis midfielder will start.

Pochettino faces a decision in midfield with Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Luca De La Torre and Jack McGlynn contesting for three places in the lineup. Despite a shaky performance against Guatemala, Matt Freese is expected to keep his place in goal.

Luis Chávez had to leave the Mexico campaign after suffering a serious ACL injury last week with the Dynamo Moscow midfielder expected to miss the next eight months of action. Otherwise, Aguirre has a fully fit and available squad to choose from.

Prediction

These two giants of CONCACAF have met each other in seven previous Gold Cup finals, with Mexico coming out on top in five of those. For this one though, we think Pochettino’s side will redress the balance a little: USA 2-1 Mexico.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Gold Cup with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Inter Miami return to MLS action at Montreal

Inter Miami return to Major League Soccer action with a trip to Canada on Saturday night following their exploits at the Club World Cup and will be looking to get back into the groove of domestic play.

By James Nalton

Their first game back is against a CF Montréal team currently sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but while it might seem a way for Inter Miami to ease their way back into league play, things are not always that straightforward with this team.

Playing catch-up

MLS has continued during the Club World Cup, which means Inter Miami resume their regular season schedule with four games in hand on those at the top of the table.

Having topped the overall standings in record-breaking fashion last season to claim the Supporters’ Shield, they currently sit 11 points behind a Philadelphia Union side who lead the Eastern Conference and the overall standings with just over half the season played.

If Inter Miami win all four of their games in hand, there are enough points available for them to overtake the Union as it stands, but there’s a lot of football to be played before those games are recovered, and the wins are not guaranteed with this team.

Four of Inter Miami’s six games before the start of the Leagues Cup are away from home, so this season could soon turn into a slog.

Club World Cup standouts

Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was a big reason for Inter Miami’s progress out of their group at the Club World Cup, which says a lot about the unfavourable situations they found themselves in during games.

Ustari was named Man of the Match, or Superior Player of the Match as it is known at the Club World Cup, against Al Ahly, saving a penalty and making eight saves in total to help his team hold on to a 0-0 draw.

Despite conceding four against Paris Saint-Germain, Ustari was still the team’s highest-rated player on 7.5.

*Ustari averaged five saves per 90 at the Club World Cup*

It shows that Inter Miami are still far from a solid team despite boasting players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, who can win games on their own.

This has been evident in MLS, and it was on show again in this international tournament.

It now feels like the kind of dynamic that will stick with Javier Mascherano’s side for the rest of the season.

Resurgent opposition

CF Montréal have only won three of the 20 games they have played so far in the 2025 MLS season, but two of those victories have come in their last three matches.

They won at Houston Dynamo before defeating New York City FC at home with a defeat to FC Cincinnati in the middle.

They’ll now be hoping to capitalise on some post-Club World Cup sluggishness from Inter Miami.

Inter Miami themselves might look at this as a good way to ease back into MLS play by facing the team sitting second from bottom in the overall standings, but Montréal have shown in recent games that they’re capable of causing upsets.

Prediction

We still don’t know how the expanded Club World Cup will affect the teams who took part, but Montréal might see a chance to take advantage of an Inter Miami post-tournament hangover. Maybe the Canadiens can secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Madrid meet familiar foes Dortmund in Club World Cup quarterfinals

Two former European champions meet in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, but might fatigue have a role to play at the end of a season that’s now stretching into its eleventh month?

By Ian King

Tournament form

Neither of these two teams have awoken slightly from a slumber that seemed to seep into their opening matches, in which Real Madrid failed to beat Al-Hilal while Borussia Dortmund were held to a goalless draw by Fluminense. Both have since done ‘enough’ to get this far without looking much like champions of the world, with Real Madrid beating Juventus and Dortmund beating Monterrey in the last round to set up this meeting.

History repeats itself

If you want history, these two clubs have got history, though the omens don’t look particularly great for Borussia Dortmund. They’ve met 16 times in the Champions League, but Dortmund have only won three of them, and Real have won the last four in a row, one of which just happened to be the 2024 final, while they also beat Dortmund 5-2 in the 2024-25 megagroup stage. Dortmund’s last win came in the first leg of the 2013-14 quarter-finals, when the excitement of a 2-0 win in the first leg was rather undone by losing the return match 3-0 and getting eliminated from the competition.

Key Players

For all the talk of the amount of money that they throw around, it was a graduate of the Real Madrid academy, Goncalo García, who scored the only goal of their win against Juventus in the last round. Having also scored their equaliser in their opening match and their third goal in their last group match against RB Salzburg, he’s becoming their breakout star of the tournament.

For Dortmund, Serhou Guirassy scored both of their goals against Monterrey. He’s now scored 37 goals in 49 appearances for them in all competitions this season; not a bad first season, following his transfer from Stuttgart.

Team News

Enjoyers of narrative will be disappointed to hear that there will be no Bellingham Derby this time around, after Jobe picked up a second yellow card against Monterrey and picked up a one match suspension. O brother, where art thou?

Real are missing Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Endrick and Ferland Mendy with injuries, while Emre Can, Salih Özcan and Nico Schlotterbeck will all be absent for Dortmund.

Kylian Mbappé returned for Real against Juve, only to find himself overshadowed by understudy Goncalo García.

Prediction

As the interminable 2024-25 season drags into its eleventh month, it’s difficult to avoid the temptation of wondering about the extent to which fatigue is going to influence this match. This is Real Madrid’s 67th game of the season in all competitions, while it’s Borussia Dortmund’s 55th.

But while there may be (justified) scoffing about this tournament, Real Madrid are taking it seriously. They were the first winners of the European Cup in 1956 and the first winners of the Intercontinental Cup in 1960. Being the first winners matters to them, so they have the motivation.

They have a young player who’s been scoring goals, and Dortmund are missing their newly-purchased teenage sensation, while Real have won each of their last four meetings in the Champions League, so it’s difficult to see past a Real win. Let’s go for 2-1 Madrid win, and Borussia Dortmund to get in some much-needed rest ahead of the new season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob this summer – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.