Borussia Dortmund take on the visitors Monterrey in the round of 1/8-finals of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Wednesday, July 2nd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA).
Borussia Dortmund have improved significantly under their current head coach. The Black and Yellows were notoriously unlucky under Edin Terzic—famously missing out on the Bundesliga title in the final round in 2023 and then losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid the following year. But things completely fell apart under his successor, Nuri Sahin. Fortunately, during the winter break, the club replaced him with the more experienced Niko Kovac. Kovac had previously endured some unsuccessful spells, but in Dortmund, he managed to deliver, eventually securing a hard-fought fourth place in the Bundesliga standings. At the Club World Cup, they started with a goalless draw against Fluminense. They then followed that with two narrow wins—an entertaining 4-3 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns and a tight 1-0 against Ulsan HD. Despite their defensive vulnerabilities, Dortmund have now won four of their last five competitive matches. Their attack remains productive, scoring at least once in 10 consecutive games.
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Monterrey aren’t even the most decorated club by Mexican standards. Interestingly, they’ve won the domestic league and the CONCACAF Champions League an equal number of times—but their last continental trophy came back in 2021. In last season’s Apertura, they finished second but followed it up with a disappointing seventh-place finish in the spring regular season, getting eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The team arrived in the U.S. with a new head coach, Domènec Torrent, and has remained unbeaten under his leadership so far. They opened with respectable draws against heavyweights like Inter (scoring first before conceding) and River Plate (a goalless stalemate), then unleashed their full potential by thrashing Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0. That emphatic win was enough for Monterrey to surprisingly overtake River Plate and advance to the knockout stage. Notably, Monterrey’s defense has kept two clean sheets in three matches—an impressive feat against such high-caliber opponents. Their counterattacking play has been particularly effective, especially against teams that dominate possession.
As is often the case at this tournament, these two sides have never faced each other before. The Black and Yellows may not be dazzling, but they are getting the job done. The bet is on Borussia Dortmund to win in regular time.
Prediction for the match: Borussia Dortmund to win.
