Key events
1 min: We are underway!
Team pictures have been taken, and it’s both teams in their classic kits: Dortmund in yellow, Real Madrid in all white. The flags are off the field. “The Business” is playing very loud. Let’s have some fun.
The crowd at MetLife is filling in, but slowly. I think this every time I’m here, but this stadium really could use a roof.
The sprinklers have ceased their sprinkling, and the numerous Fifa volunteers are on the field preparing to unveil very large flags. Kickoff is near.
Borussia Dortmund’s lineup
Niko Kovač has juggled his front five around a bit in the absence of Jobe Bellingham due to yellow card accumulation. Marcel Sabitzer comes into the team after starting the previous round’s 2-1 win over Monterrey on the bench, while Felix Nmencha is dropped with Julian Brandt coming in.
Goalkeeper: Gregor Kobel
Defenders: Julian Ryerson, Ramy Benzabaini, Niklas Süle, Waldemar Anton, Daniel Svensson
Midfielders: Pascal Groß, Marcel Sabitzer
Forwards: Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Serhou Guirassy
Again, the 5-2-3 is just how Fifa is listing this lineup. The reality will look much more fluid, with Ryerson and Svensson joining the attack at will from their respective wingback spots, and at least one of Brandt, Adeyemi, and Guirassy dropping in to support the midfielders.
Real Madrid’s lineup
Xabi Alonso sticks with the same starters that won 1-0 v Juventus in the last round to bring them here. Kylian Mbappé stays on the bench, which makes sense given the great form Gonzalo García has shown up top so far and Mbappé’s continued recovery from gastroenteritis, for which he was briefly hospitalised earlier this tournament.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, Fran García
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Aurelien tchouameni, hook Güler, Federico Valverde
Forwards: Vinicius Jr, Gonzalo García
The 4-4-2 is how the XI is listed by Fifa, but one would imagine it will be a bit more fluid than that.
On the off chance you flipped on this match expecting to see an on-field clash between Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and his brother, Borussia Dortmund’s new signing Jobe Bellingham, well … I’m afraid have some bad news. Jobe’s yellow card in the previous game means he’s suspended for this contest – a fact he apparently didn’t learn until heading down the tunnel at half-time.
Dortmund manager Niko Kovač said there would be more opportunities for the siblings to face each other.
“He’s young. His brother is also young, so I’m convinced they will face each other, maybe next season in the Champions League, and then the future. The future is for them.”
Hello all, Alex Abnos here live on-site at MetLife Stadium for the final quarter-final of the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup – the (not) Bellingham Derby between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It should be a great one.
Having just had a quick walk around the perimeter of the stadium, I can report that it is certainly warm – maybe even rising to the level of “hot”. But it’s nowhere near the heat experienced in the NY/NJ area earlier in the tournament. It’s a beautiful day, really.
Alex will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Sid Lowe’s latest dispatch.
