These two clubs met as recently as October in the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund raced into a 2-0 lead at the Bernabéu, only for Real Madrid to score five times in the final half an hour, thereby prevailing 5-2, featuring a Vinícius Júnior hat-trick.
This made it four successive victories for los Blancos over die Schwarzgelben, most-notably prevailing 2-0 in the Champions League Final itself at Wembley 13 months ago. All three of Dortmund's victories over Madrid have come at Westfalenstadion.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund preview
Real Madrid are the record five-times Club World Cup winners, to go with their record four Intercontinental Cups. Borussia Dortmund too were Intercontinental Cup winners in 1997, with both dreaming of being crowned champions of the world at this very stadium in just eight days time.
Fair to say, most make Real Madrid favourites to prevail at MetLife Stadium, as they continue to grow into this tournament. Xabi Alonso's first match in charge produced an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in Miami, albeit the Saudi side have subsequently proved themselves to be capable adversaries. Nevertheless, after that, los Blancos scored three against both Pachuca and then RB Salzburg, thereby topping Group H, setting up a glamour tie with Juventus in the round of 16.
Those in attendance at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday were not treated to a thriller, but los Merengues did enough to prevail, with Gonzalo García's towering header just after half time enough to defeat Juve 1-0 in South Florida. So now, will Real Madrid march on in East Rutherford?
Borussia Dortmund too are yet to taste defeat this summer, continuing the form that saw them collect 22 points out of a possible 24 to conclude their Bundesliga campaign. Just like their opponents, Niko Kovač's side topped their group with seven points, also drawing their opener against Fluminense, before victories over both Mamelodi Sundowns and then Ulsan HD.
Then, in Tuesday's late kick off, die Schwarzgelben did enough to overcome Monterrey in Atlanta, thanks to Serhou Guirassy's early brace, scoring twice in the opening 24 minutes of the night. Thus, Dortmund are now unbeaten in 11 matches across all competition, despite having lost nine of 20 matches following the winterpause immediately beforehand. Thus, they're likely to be a tough test for Real Madrid, so who will prevail in East Rutherford, with Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich awaiting back at MetLife Stadium in the semi-finals on Wednesday?
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 16.
- Real Madrid Wins: 8. Draws: 5. Borussia Dortmund Wins: 3.
Real Madrid team news
Xabi Alonso has switched to a back three for the last two matches, mirroring the system he deployed with such success at Bayer Leverkusen, something that's likely to continue here too.
The return of fit again Antonio Rüdiger has enabled this shape to work, alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni, who looks much more comfortable in a three, continuing to fill in at the back in the continued absence of Éder Militão, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vázquez.
Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappé came off the bench against Juventus, his first minutes at this tournament having been hospitalised by gastrointestinal. However, his deputy Gonzalo García headed home the winner on Tuesday, his third goal of this tournament, so is Mbappé guaranteed to come back in?
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Borussia Dortmund: (3-4-3): Courtois; Rüdiger, Huijsen, Tchouaméni; Alexander-Arnold, Valverde, Güler; García, Bellingham, Vinícius, Mbappé.
Real Madrid player to watch vs Borussia Dortmund
As mentioned earlier, Vinícius Júnior scored a second half hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund just nine months ago, so will he be the match-winner in East Rutherford?
Borussia Dortmund team news
Unfortunately for narrative reasons, Jobe Bellingham will not come up against his brother, because his booking at Mercedes-Benz Stadium means he is suspended.
In his absence, Niko Kovač is likely to bring Marcel Sabitzer into midfield, going for the Austrian over Julian Brandt, while the rest of the teams will be unchanged, as it is very settled.
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup vs Real Madrid: (4-3-3): Kobel; Süle, Anton, Bensebaïni; Ryerson, Nmecha, Groß, Svensson; Sabitzer, Adeyemi, Guirassy.
Borussia Dortmund player to watch vs Real Madrid
Serhou Guirassy's brace in Atlanta was his 37th goal of a very impressive maiden campaign at Dortmund, and he is unquestionably their most-likely match-winner here too.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund prediction
As referenced earlier, we're backing Real Madrid for victory in New Jersey, forecasting a high-scoring affair, with los Blancos likely to prove to be too strong: Real Madrid 3-1 Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FAQs - FIFA Club World Cup
How to watch Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FIFA Club World Cup game on TV channel?
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Channel 5 and DAZN UK
- USA: TNT Sports, TUDN and DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FIFA Club World Cup game on live streaming?
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund FIFA Club World Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: My5 and DAZN UK
- USA: TNT Sports, TUDN and DAZN USA.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund in the FIFA Club World Cup?
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund takes place on Saturday 5 July 2025, with kick off at 21:00 (BST), 16:00 (EDT) & 13:00 (PDT).