In the final act of the revamped Club World Cup, scheduled to take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Chelsea and PSG, two teams that lifted international trophies just over a month ago – the Blues in the Conference League and the Parisians in the Champions League – will battle it out for the title.
For the London club, it would be their second triumph after winning the ‘shortened’ edition in 2021 – becoming the first English team to do so – while PSG, which had never won the big-eared trophy before May 31, dreams of its first historic success in the competition that FIFA has chosen to expand this year, making it more like a real World Cup (it is no coincidence that the next edition will be played in four years’ time).
PSG is a steamroller
Let’s start by saying that anyone who thought Luis Enrique’s men would arrive in the United States with their bellies full after literally thrashing Inter on that magical night in Munich was very much mistaken. PSG has been dominant in this tournament too, despite the high temperatures and the physiological wear and tear of the post-season. Marquinhos and his teammates proved to be the strongest on the planet on US soil. With the exception of the defeat to Botafogo in the group stage, in which the Spanish coach’s decision to field a heavily rotated side played a significant role, the new European champions won – indeed, won convincingly – every game. They scored four goals against Atlético Madrid and former Messi’s Inter Miami, two against Bayern Munich and, finally, four against Real Madrid, who were outclassed in last Wednesday’s semifinal. All this without conceding a single goal, except for the one conceded in the aforementioned match against Botafogo.
This is a show of strength from a close-knit and well-balanced group, where everything is running smoothly thanks to the masterful work of a coach who, in the space of two years, has created a perfect machine, paradoxically after saying goodbye to big names (see Mbappé) and abandoning a philosophy too often based on buying stars – read ‘figurines’ – an end in itself, without a forward-looking project behind it. Now his PSG are aiming to win their fifth title of the season after Ligue 1, the Champions League, the French Cup, and the French Super Cup. Not to mention that in about a month’s time, the Parisians will have the opportunity to lift the European Super Cup in the match scheduled in Udine against Tottenham.
Maresca anxious about Caicedo
On the other side of the pitch, however, PSG will face a Chelsea side determined to overturn the pre-match predictions. Enzo Maresca’s team took advantage of the gap that opened up on the left side of the table after the elimination of giants such as Inter and Manchester City. The Blues, who finished second in their group, first thrashed Benfica (1-4) in the round of 16 and then tamed two tough Brazilian teams, Palmeiras (1-2) and Fluminense (0-2). Like PSG, their only defeat came in their second group game against Flamengo: otherwise, it has been all wins.
Maresca has not been shy with tactical experiments, taking the opportunity to try out new arrivals, including strikers Delap and Joao Pedro, with the former Brighton player the star of the show in the semi-final against Fluminense (scoring twice against his former team in his first start for Chelsea). The Italian coach will have Colwill and Delap back for the final after they were suspended last Tuesday, but only the defender will start alongside Chalobah. Joao Pedro is a sure bet in attack, while there are doubts about Caicedo’s availability in midfield: the Ecuadorian player is struggling with an ankle problem. The only absentees for PSG are the suspended Lucas Hernandez and Pacho: Beraldo will start again in defense, while the front three will be made up of Doué, Dembélé, and Kvaratskhelia.
Odds comparison
PSG are priced at 1.62 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.60 on Snai. A “Multigol 3-5” result is priced at 1.77 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.87 on Snai.
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The prediction
This PSG side seems to have no weaknesses. Solid in defense, lethal in attack, compact and determined. In short, the Parisians are clear favorites to win the Club World Cup, and the very lopsided odds offered by the various bookmakers are not surprising. Marquinhos and his teammates are also comforted by the statistics: the Londoners have never beaten PSG in their last four official matches. Chelsea, on the other hand, have grown with every game and certainly have no shortage of talent, but the feeling is that Maresca’s team will need a sensational performance to stop Luis Enrique’s ‘Martians’, and in our opinion, they will not succeed: even a perfect game against PSG may not be enough.
We are likely to see another triumph for the European champions in a match where the total number of goals could be between three and five.
CHELSEA (4-3-2-1): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Nkunku; Palmer, Pedro Neto; Joao Pedro. PSG (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia.