Real Madrid and Juventus, two giants of European football, faced off in a highly anticipated Round of 16 clash at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The match, held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, saw Real Madrid, the top team from Group H, take on Juventus, who finished second in Group G.
Real Madrid entered the match as favorites, having demonstrated consistent improvement throughout the group stage. After a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal, they secured a 3-1 victory over Pachuca and a dominant 3-0 win against RB Salzburg. Juventus, on the other hand, had a mixed group stage, with a 5-0 thrashing of Al Ain and a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca, but also a heavy 5-2 defeat to Manchester City.
The match marked Xabi Alonso's fourth game as Real Madrid's coach. Madrid adopted a back-three formation, which allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold to perform at his best. The starting eleven featured Courtois in goal; Rudiger, Huijsen, and Tchouameni in defense; Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Valverde, Guler, and Garcia in midfield; and Vini Jr. and Gonzalo up front.
Igor Tudor, the Juventus coach, made six changes to the team that lost to Manchester City. The Juventus starting eleven included Di Gregorio in goal; Kalulu, Rugani, and Kelly in defense; Alberto, Locatelli, Thuram, and Cambiaso in midfield; and Conceicao, Yildiz, and Kolo Muani in attack.
One of the main talking points was whether Kylian Mbappé would make his Club World Cup debut. He had missed the group games due to acute gastroenteritis. Ultimately, Mbappé started on the bench. Alonso expressed his belief that Mbappé and Vinicius Junior could play well together, with Vinicius on the outside and Mbappé on the inside.
The winner of the match would face either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the quarter-finals. Real Madrid and Juventus have a long history, having played each other 21 times in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid has won 10 of those matches, while Juventus has won 9, with 2 draws. The two sides met in the 2016-17 Champions League final, where Real Madrid won 4-1.
