⚽ FIFA Club World Cup 2025 - USA: Discussion Thread ⚽

[Z_MBFM]

Real Madrid 0 vs Juventus 0
That's how Juventus would have been in front in the 7th minute, that was a wonderful attack from the team and Kolo Muani would have scored if only his chipping on  Courtois was a bit lower. The ball was dispossessed from Arnold in their box and they lead the attack all the way to Real Madrid own box. Juventus is playing with some fluidity and Madrid at that time didn't have much of the ball. The game will be very interesting as there's no dull moment so far in the game.

Juventus has been able to attack well but has not been able to score successfully. There have been many tough games so far. Although I support Real Madrid a lot and like their game, it seems that they can win the match. But to be honest, both teams are performing very well in this match and are not giving each other any single chance to score. So it would not be surprising if this match ends in a draw at the last minute. However, since only 22 minutes of the game have been played, there is still a long time left for both teams. I am very confused about the score of the game until half time. I could not make a single prediction, the match could end with a 1-0 goal and Real Madrid would be ahead. And this goal could happen in the second half. Let's enjoy the match.

[CLS63]

This is the current look of the bracket after the recent results.

Inter and Manchester City both are out which is really unbelievable. As I said earlier we saw many surprising results but I thought this part of the tournament would be different.

The final quarter finalists are going to be decided tonight. I'm still favouring Real Madrid and Dortmund to qualify in regular time. We will find out whether there will be unexpected results here as well.

[Adbitco]

Real Madrid 0 vs Juventus 0
That's how Juventus would have been in front in the 7th minute, that was a wonderful attack from the team and Kolo Muani would have scored if only his chipping on  Courtois was a bit lower. The ball was dispossessed from Arnold in their box and they lead the attack all the way to Real Madrid own box. Juventus is playing with some fluidity and Madrid at that time didn't have much of the ball. The game will be very interesting as there's no dull moment so far in the game.

Still goalless in the 20th minute and Juventus seems like a better team. Real Madrid even with a good squad cannot create chances so far. They are still the favorites to win the match but Real Madrid needs to start creating chances against Juventus in this match

30 minutes played, they are on cooling break now. Seriously, I have been watching this game since it started and so far, Juventus is the better team within this thirty minutes and if Real Madrid isn't careful, Juventus might win them in this very encounter but as usual Real Madrid might also surprise us too, that's why I'm just keeping an open mind in the game because once I pick a side, it's the other side that mostly wins, lol.

[Stepstowealth]

Secondly, another take home we should have here is believing Ronaldo when he said that the Arabian league is among the top 5 leagues in the world and many people laughed at it because he was playing in the league. Who would have thought Al Hilal will eliminate Manchester City.

The top five leagues based on popularity in no particular order

The English Premier League, The Spanish league, the Italian league, the German league, the French league.

I think it is only after those that we can maybe have the Saudi league and the MLS.

The Saudi league cannot be among the top five in the world simply because they were able to win one game against Manchester City.

[Minor Miner]

This is probably the most competitive match of the round of 16. Both Juventus and Real Madrid are very strong teams. And both teams will try their best to win this match. No team has scored yet in 35 minutes. However, both are continuing to try to score. I have seen some strong attacks.

Real Madrid is playing in a 3-5-2 formation today. I don't know why Madrid is playing with only 3 defenders. Juventus is not a weak team. Xabi Alonso is experimenting with the squad in this match too. Madrid should definitely give their full effort to win against Juventus. But they did not keep Mbappe in the starting XI.

[Merit.s]

Real Madrid 0 vs Juventus 0
That's how Juventus would have been in front in the 7th minute, that was a wonderful attack from the team and Kolo Muani would have scored if only his chipping on  Courtois was a bit lower. The ball was dispossessed from Arnold in their box and they lead the attack all the way to Real Madrid own box. Juventus is playing with some fluidity and Madrid at that time didn't have much of the ball. The game will be very interesting as there's no dull moment so far in the game.

Still goalless in the 20th minute and Juventus seems like a better team. Real Madrid even with a good squad cannot create chances so far. They are still the favorites to win the match but Real Madrid needs to start creating chances against Juventus in this match

30 minutes played, they are on cooling break now. Seriously, I have been watching this game since it started and so far, Juventus is the better team within this thirty minutes and if Real Madrid isn't careful, Juventus might win them in this very encounter but as usual Real Madrid might also surprise us too, that's why I'm just keeping an open mind in the game because once I pick a side, it's the other side that mostly wins, lol.

Juventus did more of attacking than Madrid and Juventus have be threatening Madrid defense since the beginning of the match till now. Madrid is unable to break into Juventus defense and only Bellingham had a good chance of breaking the deadlock but he couldn't. In the last five minutes of the match, Madrid is pressuring and looking for a goal desperately. A total attempt of six goals from Madrid. Four minutes of added time and the match is still goalless.

[BIT-BENDER]

I see alot of people pushing a narrative I find absurd. Just because of Al hilal defeated Manchester City today some people believe that Ronaldo was right when he said the Saudi Arabia league is a top league even above the French league.

I find that logic silly because how will you use one team good performance in the FIFA club world cup, Al hilal has been good in this tournament no doubt but I don't think this can justify Cristiano Ronaldo's claim. If we are using that then Inter Miami(MLS) and Botafogo (Brazilian league) can also claim they are top teams above all team in the Portuguese league and Italian serie A respectively.

[Baki202]

From what I saw yesterday, I will stand with Al-Hilal for this match. They can score, no doubt about that, something that isn't so easy for Fluminense, which is better at defending than scoring. I'm sure that if we see an early goal from Fluminense, as they did with Inter, all of them will be in front of their goalkeeper, making a wall and waiting for a chance to score on a counterattack. However, if we see the opposite and Al-Hilal scores first, then they will have to play more attacking football, and that's not in their favor. Al-Hilal isn't afraid to attack no matter the scoreline, no matter the opponent. So, Al-Hilal for the win on this!

Al-Hilal did very well, and people always underestimate them, but with what they saw and how tough even their defense is, they are playing strategically, so there is always a need for them to prove themselves, and people are always looking down, and they are always underestimating them, but with what they played, and even as Manchester city is my club am surprised that they had a lot of chances that is the shots on target but look at Al-Hilal they had few shot with enough goals.

and now people know that Ronaldo is doing very well, because at some point I saw the way they were defending, I was just impressed. You will know that these people are good, even the English teams will not joke with them at a

[Smack That Ace]

This is probably the most competitive match of the round of 16. Both Juventus and Real Madrid are very strong teams. And both teams will try their best to win this match. No team has scored yet in 35 minutes. However, both are continuing to try to score. I have seen some strong attacks.

Real Madrid is playing in a 3-5-2 formation today. I don't know why Madrid is playing with only 3 defenders. Juventus is not a weak team. Xabi Alonso is experimenting with the squad in this match too. Madrid should definitely give their full effort to win against Juventus. But they did not keep Mbappe in the starting XI.

In the first half, we did not  see any goals from either team. However , Real Madrid players tried to dominate the match. Real Madrid had 57% ball possession . And the team also attacked more. Real madrid was able to make a total of 8 shots. Out of these, 4 were on target. On the other hand, Juventus made only 4 shots and one was on  target.

We are familiar with Juventus' defensive gameplay.  Real madrid will  have to play very carefully in the second half if they want to win. If Juventus somehow manages to score the first goal of the match, it will be very  difficult for Madrid to win this match. Although Juventus' attack is a bit weak, their defense is very  strong.

[Adbitco]

This is probably the most competitive match of the round of 16. Both Juventus and Real Madrid are very strong teams. And both teams will try their best to win this match. No team has scored yet in 35 minutes. However, both are continuing to try to score. I have seen some strong attacks.

Real Madrid is playing in a 3-5-2 formation today. I don't know why Madrid is playing with only 3 defenders. Juventus is not a weak team. Xabi Alonso is experimenting with the squad in this match too. Madrid should definitely give their full effort to win against Juventus. But they did not keep Mbappe in the starting XI.

It takes one day for something to start, so if his using that formation ten he wants to start it with a big team too. I think Mbappe is just recovering from his acute gastroenteritis and I think I saw his name in the reserve players list. Maybe he might be brought on in the second half. I saw that shot from Fede Valverde that would have been the opener. That's his second shot in the game, one off target and one on target, we might see more in the second half if his been given that space. Let's see how the second half will be like because clearly, Juventus with no doubt were the better team in the first half.

[yenerbatmaz]

Is Real Madrid playing a five-man defense or is it just me?
I think Trent still hasn't adapted to the team.
Real's right wing is in a bad shape right now.
Juventus, especially with Kenan, used Trent's wing very effectively and found dangerous feet from this wing.
I have no idea what Real's football is like.
Juventus caught my eye as the better team.

[Unsoldier]

Manchester City didn't lose by being unlucky, they lost by playing bad. When you see the goals then you realize that they didn't really played well at all. I am not saying they are a horrible team, but we have seen them be horrible before, like it was November- December period if I remember right? That is how they played as well, it was a terrible period and that is how it is now too. If they are not careful and make some changes, I agree that they may become a team that loses like this to everyone.

For a while they lost to all teams at premier league for a long time, and everyone talked about how it was a bad period but now we are seeing even worse right now so we need to check and see if they can recover before we bet on them.

Al Hilal really surprised me — yeah, they struggled at times, but some of their counterattacks were pure class. You could see Inzaghi going from pulling his hair out to applauding in disbelief. City looked better overall, but not by much.
People seriously underestimated this Al Hilal side. They’re not some random team from Saudi Arabia — they’ve dominated their league for years and packed their squad with big-name players. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they knock out Fluminense next and book a place in the semis. Maybe bringing in Inzaghi was a stroke of genius after all.

[Amphenomenon]

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This is probably the most competitive match of the round of 16. Both Juventus and Real Madrid are very strong teams. And both teams will try their best to win this match. No team has scored yet in 35 minutes. However, both are continuing to try to score. I have seen some strong attacks.

Real Madrid is playing in a 3-5-2 formation today. I don't know why Madrid is playing with only 3 defenders. Juventus is not a weak team. Xabi Alonso is experimenting with the squad in this match too. Madrid should definitely give their full effort to win against Juventus. But they did not keep Mbappe in the starting XI.

Mbappe has been sick and i think it would be better if he comes in from the bench.

Juventus are a very solid opponent but even without Mbappe should be able to be the victor here but I know this won't ne easy. Real Madrid just need to restrategise and hopefully take their chances more better in the second half in order to be the victor.

[Balmain]

The match drew attention with the offensive power of both teams. Manchester City scored with Bernardo Silva in the 9th minute and Erling Haaland in the 55th minute, while Al-Hilal equalized with Marcos Leonardo in the 46th minute and Malcom in the 52nd minute. In particular, Al-Hilal's second goal came from the gap left in the defense by City during a corner kick and was one of the breaking moments of the match. In extra time, Al-Hilal scored two more goals and achieved a 4-3 victory. Look at Al-Hilal, they eliminated Manchester City, the excitement in the tournament automatically increased.

[Unsoldier]

Is Real Madrid playing a five-man defense or is it just me?
I think Trent still hasn't adapted to the team.
Real's right wing is in a bad shape right now.
Juventus, especially with Kenan, used Trent's wing very effectively and found dangerous feet from this wing.
I have no idea what Real's football is like.
Juventus caught my eye as the better team.

Real are actually leading 1-0 after 56 minutes, so Juventus need to come up with something soon if they want to get back into it.

As for how Real Madrid are playing — yes, it's different from what we're used to. They're pressing high, forcing the ball out wide, and trying to win it back there. It's a new approach, and sometimes it works well, but other times they look exposed — like with those quick Juventus attacks down Trent’s side.
Right now, it’s hard to say if these changes will really work long-term, but it’s clear that Real are stepping far outside their usual style.

[Merit.s]

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This is probably the most competitive match of the round of 16. Both Juventus and Real Madrid are very strong teams. And both teams will try their best to win this match. No team has scored yet in 35 minutes. However, both are continuing to try to score. I have seen some strong attacks.

Real Madrid is playing in a 3-5-2 formation today. I don't know why Madrid is playing with only 3 defenders. Juventus is not a weak team. Xabi Alonso is experimenting with the squad in this match too. Madrid should definitely give their full effort to win against Juventus. But they did not keep Mbappe in the starting XI.

Mbappe has been sick and i think it would be better if he comes in from the bench.

Juventus are a very solid opponent but even without Mbappe should be able to be the victor here but I know this won't ne easy. Real Madrid just need to restrategise and hopefully take their chances more better in the second half in order to be the victor.

Madrid has finally taken the lead in the first ten minutes of the second half with a fabulous header by Gonzelo Garcia. This young lady has been the one helping in the attack since Mbappe is sick. Madrid is playing well in the second half compared to the first half which gave them the opportunity to take the lead. It's not yet over, until it's over.

R. Madrid 1-0 Juventus.

[Raflesia]

I want to feel that this is a problem but when looking at Inter's current condition with the transition and problems within them and of course by looking at their performance in the group stage I actually think that this result is a normal thing.

It doesn't mean that I don't want to admit that they are a great club but in other conditions we must realize that in the end Inter's current condition is still not ready enough and they still need time to adjust to be better. Their performance in terms of dominance and ball possession does look quite convincing but on the other hand their readiness for counterattacks is also still very minimal so that in the end Fluminense managed to make this an advantage for them.
For Juventus in tomorrow's match it is clearly still a bit difficult but looking at their goal productivity and with Madrid's current condition even though I still lean towards Madrid but I still expect that this match will have a lot of goals.

It's difficult to tell what's going on with them, but when you take into account how much they have lost at the end of this season, it makes sense that the players are not only physically exhausted, but also mentally. They lost the Champions League final in a horrible way, they gave away the Serie A title because of incredibly bad games at the end, got kicked out of the Coppa and I heard that Lautaro Martinez made his 64th game of the season. That is insane.

The substitution of Inzaghi for Chivu also made things a little more difficult as their transition began to be felt even though their possession and determination looked fine but this affected their productivity and goal utilization so it ended up being a little difficult for Inter in the end.

They're out now and it's a first for Chivu that they'll have to make a lot of changes later on because either way, if this situation remains then it could get even more complicated.

I want to feel that this is a problem but when looking at Inter's current condition with the transition and problems within them and of course by looking at their performance in the group stage I actually think that this result is a normal thing.

It doesn't mean that I don't want to admit that they are a great club but in other conditions we must realize that in the end Inter's current condition is still not ready enough and they still need time to adjust to be better. Their performance in terms of dominance and ball possession does look quite convincing but on the other hand their readiness for counterattacks is also still very minimal so that in the end Fluminense managed to make this an advantage for them.
For Juventus in tomorrow's match it is clearly still a bit difficult but looking at their goal productivity and with Madrid's current condition even though I still lean towards Madrid but I still expect that this match will have a lot of goals.

Inter Milan has come to the point where they need to sell almost every player in the club amd bring in fresh legs because if you check their performance in the closing stage of last season you'd see how weak they have become and in this tournament they play like the were forced to compete, to me I don't think anything productive can happen in the Inter Milan side, they'll be like the likes of Ac Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Roma who try to keep up the winning pace last season. In this competition their attack was very weak and it has no threat to scare opposition defenders that's why their opponent Fluminense felt relaxed in that encounter.
Juventus also has same issue with Inter in the defense line but their attack is a bit effective when Kolo Muani is on the pitch but aside from that nothing can be said about the Old Ladies. Juventus have enough time to change the way they played against their next opponent.

The problem is that it can also be a gamble because Chivu realizes that if he reshuffles according to his wishes but in the end later in the transition they are even more destroyed this will also have a much bigger impact on Chivu because for now he is still in the eyes of many parties.
This kind of pressure for a new coach is definitely not unusual but in the end it looks like Chivu is starting to want to try to settle on a lineup that is already in place (although there will be some changes later) but on the other hand they will keep it the same as before for the most part. It's not that Chivu doesn't want them to reshuffle but given their financial situation and the adaptations that have been made, a major reshuffle would be more risky.

Today, Madrid and Juventus elbowed each other, I was expecting a lot of goals but despite both clubs being open so far only 1 goal has been scored.

[yudi09]

Real are actually leading 1-0 after 56 minutes, so Juventus need to come up with something soon if they want to get back into it.

As for how Real Madrid are playing — yes, it's different from what we're used to. They're pressing high, forcing the ball out wide, and trying to win it back there. It's a new approach, and sometimes it works well, but other times they look exposed — like with those quick Juventus attacks down Trent’s side.
Right now, it’s hard to say if these changes will really work long-term, but it’s clear that Real are stepping far outside their usual style.

It's hard for Juventus to find a way to force Real Madrid to follow Juventus' pattern of play because Real Madrid's way of playing Alonso in the match is much better than Ancelotti's.

The Real Madrid style of play that we are seeing now will work if it is permanent.
Alonso can take advantage of Trent's speed and the accuracy of his crosses because Mbappe and Vinicius are players with good running speed. It's just that Alonso will be confused if Trent and some of his main players get injured later. It's out of reach because it's not something anyone wants.

[Agbamoni]

I just wonder how bad Manchester City's defense is that they conceded 4 goals against AL Hilal. How can they compete for the Premier League title next season with such a bad defense? Guardiola should strengthen Manchester City's defense. Otherwise Manchester City will not be able to do well in the Premier League next season. Liverpool is a very strong team now. Manchester City is now far behind Liverpool.

I watched the game and they lost not because of how poor their defense was but because they came all out to score goals leaving their defense to threat. Before the match starts, I bet on Madrid to win but during the game I knew I might lose and of course I did. After extra time, I saw the odd to bet on Al Hilal to win overtime. It was 15 odd at that moment, I bet on it luckily I won. The good thing is that, at the end of the way I profited form it after Manchester City disappointed me at full time.

[bitzizzix]

In the match between Real Madrid and Juventus, I watched and judged Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio more. He made several saves on his goal and maybe if Michele Di Gregorio was not good at guarding his goal, Real Madrid could have scored more than one goal. There were only a few minutes left in the match and both teams were still attacking each other and I hoped Juventus could equalize so that the match would last longer, and I think Juventus played well and made several quite dangerous attacks.