Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

Two familiar foes face each other for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals. Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund last met in October 2024 when Los Blancos put five past Kobel. More importantly, the sides met at Wembley five months earlier in the Champions League finals to crown Real Madrid the champions of Europe for a record 15th time.

Is this the time for giving one back? Or will the Spaniards extend their dominant run?

Real Madrid Building Momentum

After a disappointing start to the World Cup campaign and a 2:2 draw with Al Hilal, Xabi Alonso's men picked up the pace and haven't looked back since. They won the next two games, although not always convincingly, and finished at the top of Group H.

The round of 16 saw Los Blancos trade blows with Juve. Give blows, rather, because the tie was as one-sided as a 1:0 game could be. The nets remained still in the first 45 minutes despite Real camping in the opposition half for most of it. Finally, Garcia's header opened the scoreline in the 54th minute, and that was it.

Real will cherish playing with Dortmund, whom they've beaten in the last four meetings with a combined goal difference of 13:7.

Real Madrid Injury & Suspension News

Kylian Mbappe is back in action. He entered as a substitute against Juve and is expected to start. Conversely, Xabi Alonso still cannot count on Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy, and Endrick.

Dortmund Finding Form

The Bundesliga side flew under the radar for most of the competition, topping Group F and happy to stay out of the spotlight. Now? They'll be eager to avenge recent defeats to Los Blancos, most notably losing the 2024 UCL finals.

Niko Kovac's men are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions and have kept clean sheets in four of their last five matches. However, they didn't cover themselves in glory in the sweaty round of 16 clash with Monterrey. Leading 2:0 at half time thanks to a Guirassy double, the Black and Yellows let one in in the 48th minute and had to dig deep. Monterrey had more shots, more of the ball, but couldn't find the back of the net.

Borussia Dortmund Injury & Suspension News

The brotherly bout between Jobe and Jude Belingham is off the books, since the former picked up his second yellow and will be suspended for the quarterfinals. Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can, and Salih Özcan are unavailable with injuries.

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction

Both sides are unbeaten on the tour with roughly similar performances. A draw looks scripted for this game, but Dortmund's second-half performance in the latest outing doesn't inspire much confidence.

I believe that the Bundesliga side is more than capable of holding its own against La Liga giants for at least 45 minutes. What happens after is anybody's guess.

CryptoGamba tip: First half draw – 2.38 @BC.Game