River Plate vs Monterrey: Club World Cup Prediction (22.06.2025)

On June 22, 2025, at 08:00 WIB, River Plate and Monterrey will face off at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, USA, in the second round of the Club World Cup. Bookmakers slightly favor the Brazilian representatives. Let’s take a look at the current form of both teams and give our prediction for the match.

River Plate

“Los Millonarios” remain one of the most popular clubs in Argentina. Moreover, the team is displaying an interesting and well-coordinated style of play. In their first Club World Cup match, River Plate played against Urawa Reds. The match against the Japanese side was highly competitive, but the Argentine team capitalized on their chances better and won 3-1 with class.

The full-backs Acuña and Montiel showed confident performances. Both players, who are World Cup winners with Argentina and former Sevilla players, were effective not only in defense but also contributed to attacks when possible, adding width to the team’s play. Sebastián Driussi confirmed his role as the team leader, earning the title of Man of the Match against Urawa.

Monterrey

The Mexican side faced the group’s top favorite, Inter Milan, in their opening match. Despite being clear underdogs, Monterrey put up a strong fight against the more prestigious opponent. It’s worth noting that they played boldly and mirrored Inter’s favorite 3-5-2 tactical formation. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

39-year-old Sergio Ramos proved that Real Madrid may have been wrong not to consider him as a temporary solution for their defensive issues. The Spaniard was the Man of the Match and even scored a goal.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

These two teams have met twice in friendly matches. In 2023, Monterrey won 1-0. A year later, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Prediction

The River Plate vs Monterrey match is expected to be a tight contest. A draw seems quite likely, especially in the first half when all players are still fresh.

It’s worth noting that while Monterrey is considered the underdog, they are playing their second consecutive match in the hot weather of Pasadena, while River Plate had to travel from Seattle. The climate is already familiar to the Mexican team, and they’ve had time to acclimatize without spending energy on travel. In this context, a bet on a draw in the first half at odds of 2.18 looks like a smart choice.