This weekend heralds the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup quarterfinals, and with it, we have Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund, a rematch of the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final. The stakes are nowhere near as high this time around, but both sides want that prize money, so it’s time to ball out. It is very debatable how meaningful/meaningless this tournament is, and honestly, there are no right or wrong answers on that.
Does it really need to exist? No, probably not.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FYIs
Kickoff: Sat July 5, 4pm EST, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA
Format: Club World Cup Quarterfinal
Latest on the Jaime Gittens transfer situation: go here
Preview Material for both sides: Team News Starting Lineup Predictions
Watch: DAZN is streaming every match, without a subscription fee. However, it doesn’t seem like any of the fixtures in this round are being televised.
Or at least definitely not in this expanded format, because now the players are getting next to nothing when it comes to a summer holiday. Still, Real Madrid vs. BVB is always a headliner fixture, not matter the format. And both sides are in it to win it, so they’ll go with their best foot forward here.
Starting Lineup Predictions
Borussia Dortmund
Gregor Kobel; Niklas Süle, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini; Julian Ryerson, Felix Nmecha, Pascal Gross, Daniel Svensson; Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi; Serhou Guirassy.
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Fede Valverde, Aurlien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham; Arda Güler, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter