FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Round of 16: Borussia Dortmund vs Monterrey | Preview and Predictions

With the conclusion of the Group stage of the Club World Cup, the knockout rounds beckon with some mouth-watering ties. German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund will compete with Mexican club C.F. Monterrey for a place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. 

The match will be played on July 2nd at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Here’s our preview and prediction for the Round of 16 match between Borussia Dortmund and Monterrey during FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Round of 16: Borussia Dortmund vs C.F. Monterrey | 06:30 IST, July 2nd

Borussia Dortmund was placed in a relatively easier Group F with South Korean club Ulsan HD, South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Brazilian club Fluminense. Even though they were predicted to qualify the group at the first place, Dortmund didn’t perform convincingly against any of the opponents.  BVB first drew with Fluminense, then they beat Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 and then they finished the group stage with a narrow 1-0 win against Ulsan HD. 

As for Monterrey, they were placed in a tough group with Group E with Italian giants Internazionale Milano, Argentine club River Plate and Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds. They first drew 1-1 with Inter, then had another draw against River Plate before ending the group stage with a massive 4-0 win against the Urawa Reds. While they qualified through this group, they would be concerned with their chance creation and scoring as they could only manage to score one goal in their first two games. 

Going into this Round of 16 fixture, Dortmund will have to be wary of the threat Monterrey possesses. The 5-times CONCACAF Champions League winners aren’t going to be easy to beat with decent players in both attack and defence. 

While Dortmund has impressive attacking talents in Karim Adeyemi, Serhou Guirassy, new signing Jobe Bellingham, Julian Brandt and Pascal Groß, Monterrey have a slew of talented players in Sergio Canales, Oliver Torres, Hector Moreno, Jesus Corona, Lucas Ocampos, German Berterame and the more popular ex-Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos who is also their captain. 

Dortmund and Monterrey will be meeting in a competitive match for the first time. Looking at their form in the last five games in all competitions – Borussia Dortmund have four wins and a draw while Monterrey has one win, two draws and two losses. Based on current form, Dortmund look more likely to go through but knockout rounds can be tricky and whoever shows bravery and starts well has momentum on their side. 

It’s very difficult to call this one and this could be a tightly contested affair but Dortmund do have the forward line to trouble Monterrey and might edge this one by a goal. 

Score Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 C.F. Monterrey 

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia