Club World Cup updates, odds: Fluminense shine vs. favored Dortmund

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is disconnected and running, with 4 beardown days of amusive and play already successful the books. Let's get you caught up with what you missed and what's up contiguous and tomorrow.

Check successful with ESPN arsenic we bring you the latest quality and analysis, each the mode up to the tournament final astatine MetLife Stadium connected July 13.

The lead: Dortmund intelligibly 2nd champion arsenic Fluminense amusement they're present to play

Some of the speech astir the Club World Cup has been astir the anticipation of European teams sweeping each earlier them and turning the knockout rounds into the second stages of the UEFA Champions League. But against Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense showed that specified narratives mightiness beryllium wide of the mark.

The Brazilian broadside -- beaten Club World Cup finalists successful 2023 -- were the amended squad connected Tuesday astatine a rainy MetLife Stadium and were unfortunate to travel distant from MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey with conscionable a constituent aft a 0-0 draw. Despite having little of the ball, Fluminense peppered eventual "Superior Player Award" victor Gregor Kobel with 14 shots, forcing 5 saves successful a relentless performance.

Afterwards, Dortmund brag Niko Kovac referenced the transportation and the humidity arsenic reasons wherefore his players recovered it difficult. "The transportation isn't truthful casual for us. I deliberation the humidity besides wasn't truthful casual for each the players, though the Brazilians are much utilized to it," helium said. "It was hard for us, we were moving a lot, but wide we tin unrecorded with a point."

In reality, Fluminense were conscionable amended and would person won but for a stunning treble prevention from Kobel successful the 2nd half. After Dortmund failed to credibly wide a looping, outswinging corner, Kobel did brilliantly to get down debased and parry Everaldo's curling changeable from the borderline of the box, recovering successful clip to dispersed retired and artifact Nonato's follow-up changeable from the rebound astatine adjacent range.

Jobe Bellingham made his debut for Dortmund, putting successful a breezy half-hour cameo arsenic a 2nd fractional substitute, but it was successful galore ways a fortunate flight for the Bundesliga broadside to look with a cleanable expanse and a gully up of arguably easier matches, with comparative minnows Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns inactive to travel successful Group F.

One origin which possibly helped Fluminense is the timing of the tournament. They're 11 games into their home season, portion Dortmund are coming disconnected a pugnacious run that saw them play 50 matches. It's possibly nary wonderment that Fluminense looked fitter and fresher. -- Rob Dawson

Today's apical Club World Cup news

• Mbappe (illness) misses Real Madrid training
• Chelsea's Lavia 'confident' injuries are down him
• LaLiga president wants Club World Cup 'eliminated'

Sights and sounds astir FIFA Club World Cup

Alba's instrumentality to grooming a large boost for Inter Miami

MIAMI -- Inter Miami volition proceed to navigate the Club World Cup radical signifier with a weakened roster arsenic Yannick Bright, David Ruiz and Allen Obando trained separately from the radical successful the days starring up to the lucifer against FC Porto successful Atlanta. Bright and Ruiz failed to marque the matchday roster for the team's inaugural Club World Cup crippled against Al Ahly, portion Obando watched from the seat arsenic Miami drew 0-0.

There is bully quality for caput manager Javier Mascherano and Inter Miami fans, arsenic Jordi Alba returned to grooming for the archetypal clip since suffering a hamstring wounded successful the Major League Soccer lucifer against CF Montreal connected May 28. The erstwhile FC Barcelona subordinate near the transportation successful the 24th infinitesimal of that crippled and has been absent since, leaving the backline vulnerable.

Mascherano volition code the media Wednesday earlier kickoff astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium connected June 19 and corroborate whether the subordinate is acceptable to feature, but his instrumentality to the grooming crushed bodes well. Alba's inclusion successful the starting lineup would escaped Noah Allen to instrumentality to the halfway backmost presumption and spouse with Maximiliano Falcón arsenic the 2 person done countless times this year.

Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets trained arsenic mean with the squad starring up to the 2nd group-stage match, seeing nary health-related issues. As the tourney progresses, the team's roster could get deeper contempt the deficiency of signings made during the constricted transportation window. -- Lizzy Becherano

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Dawson: Guardiola made it wide Man City privation to triumph CWC

Rob Dawson reports connected Man City's transportation enactment and reveals Pep Guardiola's cognition towards the Club World Cup.

Man City's question program with a intent for Guardiola & Co.

PHILADELPHIA -- It's a motion of however earnestly Manchester City are taking this tourney that their docket astir games volition intimately lucifer their mentation for Champions League fixtures.

Pep Guardiola likes his players to bid astatine the CFA successful Manchester successful the greeting the time earlier a European game. Players and unit volition past usually question aboriginal successful the time aft the league is finished. Guardiola and his unit person asked for the aforesaid docket for the Club World Cup: City trained astatine their basal astatine Lynn University successful Boca Raton connected Tuesday greeting earlier a three-hour formation to Philadelphia successful the day up of their crippled against Wydad AC connected Wednesday.

The lone quality for City volition beryllium successful their recovery. For Champions League games, players volition usually enactment implicit successful the metropolis the nighttime of the crippled earlier traveling backmost to Manchester the pursuing day. In the U.S., City person organized to instrumentality to Boca Raton instantly aft each game. The thought is that the squad edifice volition beryllium much comfy for rest, betterment and relaxation alternatively than having the unusual nighttime successful galore antithetic places. -- Dawson

'Best of the best' facilities for Real Madrid

"This was a parkland before?!" Dean Huijsen sounded surprised. Real Madrid's basal campy astatine The Gardens North County District Park, Palm Beach Gardens -- wherever the squad is grooming for the archetypal fractional of this Club World Cup -- present looks similar an elite show venue. The players enactment connected 2 side-by-side shot pitches -- built successful accordance with FIFA standards -- with impeccable surfaces. The fields are flanked by impermanent buildings, huge, tented pavilions lodging a gym and different equipment. Squint, and the players could beryllium backmost location successful Valdebebas, Madrid, not a assemblage parkland extracurricular Palm Beach.

"They've made large grooming facilities retired of it," defender Huijsen told journalists Tuesday. "It's Real Madrid, truthful it's the champion of the best." Midfielder Dani Ceballos described it arsenic "one of the champion [training venues] we've had present successful the United States." Security is tight. Local constabulary assistance to power access, ensuring lone accredited unit get in. The tract has antecedently hosted MLS clubs, and adjacent planetary teams, but unit said they've ne'er seen thing similar the involvement generated by Madrid. Each day, fans stitchery outside, hoping for a glimpse of the players.

The lone downside is the distance. The tract is fractional an hr from the team's hotel, the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, and implicit an hr from Hard Rock Stadium, wherever Madrid play Al Hilal. It's a travel manager Xabi Alonso had to marque Tuesday, betwixt greeting grooming and giving his day quality league astatine the stadium. "I'm excited," helium said, reflecting connected his impending debut arsenic Madrid coach. "It's bully to train, and to talk, but the crippled volition archer america a lot." -- Alex Kirkland

Chelsea players bask the idiosyncratic intros

ATLANTA -- Chelsea's triumph implicit LAFC connected Monday raised questions astir the merits of the Club World Cup fixed that Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium was little than a 3rd full, but it seems 1 of the tournament's idiosyncrasies has gone down good with the squad.

Before each game, each subordinate of the starting lineup is introduced to the assemblage and walks retired alone, successful a departure from the accustomed customized of the full starting lineup entering the tract together. Blues midfielder Romeo Lavia was peculiarly taken with the innovation.

"It's thing peculiar and caller for us," helium said. "It's a first, I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Premier League?" Pushed connected that suggestion, Lavia instantly thought of a crushed wherefore it mightiness not work. "I mean, it's a spot of a showbiz thing, isn't it? The lone quality is [if we did it successful the Premier League], we mightiness get a spot acold due to the fact that erstwhile you're retired there, you person to hold for the different players."

High temperatures crossed the U.S. during immoderate matches person led to immoderate subordinate complaints, but Lavia knows there's thing similar the English upwind to rainfall connected a parade. -- James Olley

River Plate prime up a large win, but Driussi could beryllium a large loss

River Plate entered Lumen Field successful Seattle carrying precocious expectations arsenic they kicked disconnected their Club World Cup run against Japanese broadside and AFC typical Urawa Red Diamonds. Marcelo Gallardo's broadside intelligibly enjoyed a numerical vantage successful the stands -- overmuch similar their bitter rivals Boca Juniors had the time earlier successful Miami against Benfica -- and the oversea of reddish and achromatic whitethorn person played a relation successful River's 3-1 victory.

Much of the attraction pregame was placed connected teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono -- helium volition articulation Real Madrid erstwhile helium turns 18 successful August -- who started connected the close wing. But it was connected the other flank wherever different subordinate stole the headlines.

Los Millonarios took an aboriginal pb erstwhile Marcos Acuña's transverse recovered near winger Facundo Colidio, who headed past Shusaku Nishikawa. River continued to property successful the 2nd fractional and erstwhile Austin FC guardant Sebastián Driussi added a 2nd with different header. However, the extremity proved bittersweet, arsenic helium fell awkwardly portion beating Nishikawa to the escaped shot and was forced disconnected with an evident little limb injury. They'll beryllium hoping for affirmative quality connected their prima guardant if they're to marque bully advancement successful this competition.

Urawa pulled 1 backmost soon erstwhile Yusuke Matsuo converted a punishment past Franco Armani, but River responded swiftly -- different header -- arsenic Maximiliano Meza nodded successful different Acuña transverse to seal a important win. The effect ensured that each six CONMEBOL clubs remained unbeaten aft their opening radical signifier matches.

River Plate's adjacent trial volition beryllium against Monterrey successful what could beryllium a decisive clash successful Group E, portion Urawa look a daunting situation against Champions League runners-up Internazionale. -- Roberto Rojas

Match previews, likelihood for Wednesday

Manchester City vs. Wydad AC (Group G; Philadelphia, Noon ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Man City (-2500), Draw (+1400), Wydad AC (+2900)

Manchester City should beryllium excessively beardown for Wydad AC careless of the squad picked by Guardiola. Still, each eyes volition beryllium connected his squad enactment to spot which of the summertime signings are thrown successful close from the commencement arsenic Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders could each marque their City debuts astatine Lincoln Financial Field.

Fans volition beryllium astir excited to spot 21-year-old Cherki, peculiarly aft his thrilling planetary debut for France against Spain earlier this month, but it's Reijnders and Aït-Nouri could person the biggest contiguous impact. City were crying retired for vigor and goals successful midfield past season, and Reijnders should supply both. Meanwhile, Guardiola has besides not worked with a specializer near backmost for astir 4 years, portion Aït-Nouri was 1 of the champion near backs successful the Premier League past season. -- Dawson

Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal (Group H; Miami, 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Real Madrid (-320), Draw (+475), Al Hilal (+650)

Finally: the archetypal crippled of the Xabi Alonso era. The large uncertainty mightiness beryllium the availability of Kylian Mbappé -- helium missed grooming connected Tuesday with a fever -- but it's acold from the lone one.

Will Alonso play with 3 halfway backs, arsenic helium often did astatine Bayer Leverkusen? It seems unlikely, fixed fittingness doubts implicit Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba. Are caller additions Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen acceptable to play from the start? But much than formations oregon names, the cardinal question is this: After conscionable 9 days' grooming with the players, volition this look similar an Alonso team? -- Kirkland

Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg (Group H; Cincinnati, 6 p.m. ET)

Odds: Pachuca (+175), Draw (+225), Salzburg (+150)

CF Pachuca qualified to the Club World Cup erstwhile winning the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, and volition present look FC Red Bull Salzburg to footwear disconnected their competition. To prepare, the Liga MX squad signed 7 reinforcements: Sebastián Jurado (FC Juárez), Agustín Palavecino (Necaxa), Federico Pereira (Toluca), Brian García (Toluca), Avilés Hurtado (FC Juárez), Víctor Guzmán (Chivas) and Robert Kenedy (Real Valladolid). Four of the 7 players volition lone articulation the squad for the Club World Cup, emphasizing the value squad ownership placed connected this planetary competition.

Pachuca besides hired Jaime Lozano arsenic the newest caput coach, strengthening each facet of the roster. Despite a disappointing Liga MX Clausura campaign, qualifying to the playoffs successful eighth spot connected the array earlier losing successful the quarterfinals to Club America, the squad volition present look for a caller commencement connected the world's stage. -- Becherano

Al Ain vs. Juventus (Group G; Washington, D.C., 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: Al Ain (+1000), Draw (+550), Juventus (-550)

Igor Tudor arrived astatine Juventus successful midseason with a elemental task: get the Bianconeri into a Champions League spot aft the psychodrama of the Thiago Motta tenure. He accomplished the ngo with much substance than style, and astatine first, it appeared helium mightiness instrumentality astir for the Club World Cup earlier making mode for a semipermanent successor. Yet the club, possibly owed to a deficiency of alternatives, opted to clasp him, giving him a multiyear deal. Now helium tin marque his people consecutive away. Expect his trademark three-man defense, with Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie successful the starting XI arsenic well.

Al Ain, the Emirati champions, often get overshadowed by their neighbors successful Saudi Arabia. Underestimate them astatine your ain peril. They won the Asian Champions League successful 2024, they person a top-shelf keeper successful Rui Patrício (formerly of Roma and Wolves) and they boast a halfway forward, Togo's Kodjo Laba, with 113 goals successful his past 119 games. (They besides person a young fullback named Gino Infantino. (No narration ... we think!) -- Gab Marcotti