With Euro teams feeling heat in the US, are Dortmund vulnerable against Sundowns?

TimesLIVE

7 hours ago

Mamelodi Sundowns meet a Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup who were not their best selves in the 2024-2025 season, though clashing against a mildly off-pale version of the Bundesliga giants is still a formidable undertaking.
Sundowns meet Borussia in their second Group F clash at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday (noon Ohio time, 6pm SA time).
Downs got off to the best start in the new 32-team format of the Fifa Club World Cup (CWC) in the US, beating Ulsan HD of South Korea 1-0 in Orlando on Tuesday night. Borussia were a little flat, being the less convincing side of a 0-0 draw against Fluminense in New Jersey, though that was one of the matches played in noon heat to hit prime time for European TV audiences.
Still, there is a sense that while there have been big score mismatches between giants and minnows at the 2025 CWC, perhaps the European teams are less enthusiastic about the huge prize-money expanded event. The increase from seven teams is controversial, as it adds more games to an already packed calendar for the world's top players, especially in Europe.
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Some of the results indicate as much — Real Madrid were held to a draw by Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and Inter Miami, albeit with Lionel Messi in their ranks, beat FC Porto on Thursday night.
In contrast, the far less rich South American teams, especially from Brazil, whose four clubs remain unbeaten, seem up for fighting for a share of the staggering $1bn (R18.03bn) prize pot and not so put off by the midsummer US heat. Botafogo provided a third upset at the CWC, stunning European champions Paris Saint-Germain — a team almost unbeatable in the second half of last season — on Thursday.
Sundowns would love to provide the fourth upset of the tournament with a win or draw on Saturday. They might just have a sniff at that.
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For one, Downs are boosted by having become the first African team to win in the US. The result might have been against the other minnows of Group F, but Sundowns lost twice against Asian clubs at their only other CWC in Japan in 2016 — 2-0 against Kashima Antlers and 4-1 against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. So the Pretoria side can take their opening result as evidence their years of striving to be competitive in the Caf Champions League for almost a decade since Osaka 2016 has hardened them in international competition.
The match is again at noon for Borussia (Downs' opener against Ulsan was played at 7pm Florida time, 1am in SA). Though Sundowns went to the US from the South African winter, they are accustomed to hot conditions as the Premier Soccer League is played through an African midsummer. Coach Miguel Cardoso's Brazilians might try to exploit the conditions.
And perhaps there is a touch of vulnerability to this Dortmund.
They had a poor 2024-25 Bundesliga campaign, though rallied from when third manager of the season Niko Kovac arrived in February, winning seven of their last eight games to end fourth and clinch a Champions League place.
It says much of Dortmund's quality that they reached the 2024-25 Uefa Champions League semifinals. Again there is a hint of brittleness that they were dismantled 4-0 there, though admittedly to a quality team in Hansi Flick's resurgent young Spanish champions Barcelona.
It should still be a mismatch on Saturday. Dortmund compete in one of the world's top four leagues in the Bundesliga and regularly challenge for honours in the Uefa Champions League, the world's toughest continental club competition.
There are also plenty of world-class performers in Kovac's Borussia line-up.
Three top Borussia Dortmund players
Serhou Guirassy
The towering 29-year-old Guinean striker was a threat against Fluminense, but he couldn't bury his chances, so he'll be determined to make amends against Sundowns. A marksman in peak form, he scored an impressive 21 goals from 30 Bundesliga outings in the 2024-2025 season, joint-second behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (26). The season before Guirassy was top scorer with 28 goals.
He is a versatile striker admired for his physical strength, aerial ability and strong finishing, particularly in the box. He mainly plays as a traditional No 9, holding up the ball and linking play.
Karim Adeyemi
Adeyemi was arguably Dortmund's best player against Fluminense, penetrating through the left flank. The 23-year-old German right winger scored seven goals and managed six assists in the Bundesliga campaign.
Adeyemi is a speedy and direct attacker known for his dribbling and finishing abilities. He excels in counterattacking situations and can play as a centre-forward and second striker, though he's primarily a winger. Adeyemi's ambidextrous nature and skill taking on defenders makes him a dangerous man, especially in one-on-one situations.
Marcel Sabitzer
Sabitzer, 31, is one of the most experienced figures in the Dortmund squad, having played more than 400 Bundesliga games. The former Bayern Munich star is admired for his all-action style of play and the ability to contribute in multiple roles across the engine room.