Meeting again in an all-European clash at the Club World Cup, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will fight for a place in the semi-finals on Saturday evening.

Familiar foes from the UEFA Champions League, the pair now convene in New Jersey, with a last-four tie against either Dortmund's domestic rivals Bayern Munich or all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain at stake.

Match preview

Real Madrid have gone through the gears since drawing their first group fixture against Al-Hilal, beating both Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg to secure a spot in the last 16 before dispatching Juventus.

Under the fresh management of Xabi Alonso, who demands more running and tactical flexibility than his predecessor, Los Blancos arrive in the quarter-finals as one of the most impressive teams at this revamped Club World Cup.

Real racked up 11 shots on target against Juve last time out, as seven different players contributed to that tally, but it was academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia who made the difference with his clinical second-half strike.

More comfortable than the scoreline suggested, the Spanish side ultimately cruised through and will now play a record 20th game at FIFA's top club tournament. 

Remarkably, they are yet to lose a single match at the Club World Cup, winning 16 so far; five-time winners of the competition to date, only Al-Hilal have been able to halt them since 2014.

So, confidence should be sky-high as Los Blancos have also won four straight games against Borussia Dortmund, including a 5-2 success when the teams met in Madrid last October.

Of course, their most significant contest came in last year's Champions League decider, which went the way of Real, and the only time Dortmund have ever eliminated the La Liga giants was back in 2013.

History may not be on the German club's side this weekend, but a recent renaissance suggests they might be capable of causing an upset: following a fine end to the Bundesliga season, BVB topped Group F by drawing with Fluminense, beating Mamelodi Sundowns in a seven-goal thriller, then seeing off outsiders Ulsan HD.

Then, in the last 16, Dortmund struck twice before the half-hour mark through Serhou Guirassy, who attempted all six of their shots against Mexican side Monterrey; revitalised winger Karim Adeyemi set up both of the Guinean's goals.

It is fair to say Die Schwarzgelben have been transformed by Croatian coach Niko Kovac over the past few months, climbing from 11th to fourth in the league and snatching Champions League qualification for next season - and they have carried that momentum with them to the US. 

Dortmund have won no fewer than nine of their last 10 games - drawing the other against potential CWC semi-final opponents Bayern Munich - and Kovac takes much of the acclaim for such a stunning revival.

Winners of the Intercontinental Cup in 1997, when European champions, the Ruhr team are ultimately seeking a first Club World Cup triumph this summer; first, though, they must overcome trophy-magnets Madrid.

Real Madrid Club World Cup form: D W W W

Real Madrid form (all competitions): W W D W W W

Borussia Dortmund Club World Cup form: D W W W W

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions): W W D W W W

Team News

Xabi Alonso will be very familiar with Saturday's opponents, having played them several times over the past two years as coach of Bayer Leverkusen, so he may be wary of making tactical tweaks. 

In the US, Real Madrid's Basque boss has graduated from a 4-3-3 formation to his preferred 3-5-2, but it remains to be seen which setup is deployed this weekend. 

A tough call must be made up front, as La Liga's Pichichi winner Kylian Mbappe made his comeback from gastroenteritis against Juventus; his unheralded deputy Gonzalo Garcia has grabbed headlines by posting four goal involvements so far.

Elsewhere, ex-BVB midfielder Jude Bellingham will again meet his old club - if not his younger brother. The England star made 132 appearances for Dortmund but has now switched allegiances, setting up two goals in two games against them since leaving for Madrid.

His much-anticipated meeting with Jobe Bellingham has been halted by the latter's suspension; Bellingham junior received a second yellow card of the tournament against Monterrey. So, Marcel Sabitzer or Julian Brandt could step into the void left by the 19-year-old midfielder, recently signed from Sunderland.

With 64 goals in 101 Bundesliga appearances - and three so far this summer - star striker Serhou Guirassy leads the line up front.

While Emre Can, Salih Ozcan and Nico Schlotterbeck are all ruled out for Dortmund, injured Real Madrid quartet Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Endrick and Ferland Mendy are also sidelined.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois; Rudiger, Tchouameni, Huijsen; Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Valverde, Guler, Garcia; Mbappe, Vinicius

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup: Kobel; Sule, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Nmecha, Gross, Svensson; Sabitzer, Adeyemi; Guirassy

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

Holding a distinct psychological edge over their quarter-final opponents, Real Madrid are strong favourites to reach the semis by beating Borussia Dortmund again.

As a talented squad seem to be getting on board with Xabi Alonso's tactics and training, their quality should shine through in New Jersey.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Jonathan O'Shea

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