The British and Irish Lions are also in action this weekend, as they get ready for their 2025 tour of Australia.
Sundowns’ Khuliso Mudau in action against Ulsan earlier this week. Picture: Patricia De Melo Moreira / AFP
Most of the sporting world’s focus is on the Club World Cup taking place in the USA, with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in action again this weekend.
On the rugby front, the Springboks return to action next weekend with a match against the Barbarians, but fans can watch the British and Irish Lions in action against Argentina this weekend, prior to their tour of Australia.
Here then are our top tips for the weekend.
Football
Flamengo v Chelsea
Brazilian side Flamengo and England’s Chelsea both opened their Fifa Club World Cup campaigns with 2-0 wins, setting up nicely the meeting of the two sides in Philadelphia on Friday.
Chelsea will be favourites to get another victory, but they are likely to find Flamengo a far tougher nut to crack than LAFC.
Flamengo beat Tunisia’s Esperance in their first Group D match and have a former Chelsea man in their ranks in Italian midfielder Jorginho.
Prediction: Flamengo 1 Chelsea 2
Mamelodi Sundowns v Borussia Dortmund
Sundowns are the surprise leaders of Group F after one match, their win over South Korea’s Ulsan putting them ahead of Dortmund, who could only manage a goalless draw with Fluminense.
Masandawana will do well to get another three points against the Bundesliga giants in Cincinnati on Saturday. In fact, Dortmund have to be clear favourites to leapfrog Sundowns with the three points.
Prediction: Sundowns 0 Dortmund 3
Rugby
Lions v Argentina
The British and Irish Lions of 2025 get their tour of Australia under way with a warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night.
Maro Itoje will captain the side that includes nine English players in the starting XV, with three Irish, two Scottish and one Welshman also included.
Argentina will be without the majority of their star players who ply their trade in Europe as the match falls outside the international window, so the Lions should be hot favourites, especially with all their players coming off season-ending matches at home.
Argentina’s main focus will also be on their three home matches in July against England (two) and Uruguay.
Prediction: Lions by 25
