Refreshed and rejuvenated with Xabi Alonso at the helm, Real Madrid are hunting a semifinal berth at this summer’s Club World Cup.
They made light work of Juventus in the previous round, and another European opponent beckons for Alonso’s side in Borussia Dortmund, a team the Spaniard got to know plenty during his successful tenure as Bayer Leverkusen manager.
Madrid, too, have taken on BVB in back-to-back seasons, most notably defeating the German side in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. Much has changed since that Wembley night, and Niko Kovač’s side are built to compromise the control Alonso wishes to oversee in games via slick counter-attacks.
Here’s how the Madrid could line up for Saturday’s Club World Cup quarterfinal.






