Club World Cup final: How Chelsea, PSG compare; who will win?

It's the FIFA Club World Cup last connected Sunday, and Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea volition conflict it retired astatine MetLife Stadium for the grant of becoming the archetypal victor of the 32-team tournament.

After a monthlong contention successful the United States, which has astatine times been overshadowed by low attendance, weather-enforced delays and extreme heat, arsenic good arsenic the pre-tournament concerns of subordinate burnout, either UEFA Champions League winners PSG oregon Premier League giants Chelsea volition look arsenic satellite champions this weekend.

Luis Enrique's PSG person already won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and Champions League this year, portion Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are aiming to go the archetypal nine to triumph each large honor, having completed the European acceptable with their UEFA Conference League triumph successful May, by lifting the Club World Cup trophy. So however volition it play retired astatine MetLife, and who are the players to ticker retired for connected Sunday?

Who are the favorites?

PSG are the undisputed champion squad successful the satellite close now. Their 5-0 Champions League last triumph against Inter Milan successful Munich was the biggest winning borderline for a squad becoming champions of Europe, and they've reached the last of this contention by blowing distant Real Madrid successful a 4-0 semifinal triumph that could, and should, person ended with a heavier decision for the LaLiga giants.

So, erstwhile you see that Chelsea secured Champions League qualification via the Premier League lone connected the last time of the 2024-25 play earlier winning the Conference League, UEFA's third-tier competition, the 2 teams are miles isolated connected paper. But Maresca's squad has grown into the competition, and Chelsea are conscionable 90 minutes distant from becoming satellite champions.

PSG should win, but Chelsea person shown that they cognize however to get the occupation done, truthful this crippled volition beryllium person than galore expect.

How did PSG get here?

PSG person been the outstanding squad of the Club World Cup, signaling wins against chap European heavyweights Atlético Madrid (4-0), Bayern Munich (2-0) and Real Madrid (4-0) to marque it to the final. They haven't been invincible, though.

A 1-0 decision against Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo successful the radical signifier showed that PSG could beryllium beaten, though Luis Enrique whitethorn constituent to his squad being without prima players Ousmane Dembélé, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Marquinhos for that game.

PSG's accordant show successful the Champions League passim the four-year qualification play for the Club World Cup secured their spot successful the tournament, but their Champions League last occurrence against Inter Milan successful May confirmed their presumption arsenic the squad to bushed successful the U.S. They person lived up to that billing truthful far, and Luis Enrique adjacent had the luxury of substituting Dembélé, Ruiz, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia successful the 2nd fractional of the semifinal triumph against Real to conserve their vigor for the final.

How did Chelsea get here?

Chelsea needed a triumph successful their last radical crippled against Esperance Sportive de Tunis to scope the knockout stages aft a 3-1 decision against Flamengo enactment their progression astatine risk. Since reaching the circular of 16, though, Chelsea person had luck connected their broadside successful presumption of enjoying a favorable way to the final.

Bayern's astonishment group-stage nonaccomplishment to Benfica meant that Chelsea avoided the Bundesliga giants and faced the Portuguese squad successful the circular of 16. yet winning 4-1 aft other clip successful Charlotte, North Carolina. Chelsea past defeated Brazilian teams Palmeiras (2-1) and Fluminense (2-0) to unafraid a clash against PSG successful the final.

Chelsea earned their Club World Cup spot by virtuousness of winning the Champions League successful 2021 -- the commencement of the four-year qualification play -- but their lack from Europe's apical nine contention for the past 2 years highlights however the Stamford Bridge squad sneaked into the tourney by its achievements nether a antithetic manager and ownership radical 4 years ago.

PSG cardinal players to watch

Where bash you commencement with PSG? They are a squad of outstanding idiosyncratic talent, but their occurrence lies successful each of those players being consenting and capable to lucifer their endowment with ultimate enactment complaint and squad ethic.

Dembélé is the prima subordinate successful Luis Enrique's team, though, and the France guardant is present the wide favourite to triumph this year's Ballon d'Or. The 28-year-old has scored 35 goals and registered 14 assists successful 52 appearances for PSG this season, and has dispelled each erstwhile doubts implicit his quality to enactment acceptable and scope his potential.

He had a pugnacious 5-½ seasons astatine Barcelona pursuing a big-money determination from Borussia Dortmund successful 2018, but since moving to Paris successful 2023, Dembélé has lived up to each of the hype.

Even if Chelsea tin halt Dembélé, though, they volition past person to halt Kvaratskhelia and Doué connected the wings, oregon someway overpower the midfield of Ruiz, Vitinha and Neves. And past determination are the 2 fullbacks, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, who are the champion successful the satellite astatine their presumption close now.

Chelsea cardinal players to watch

Until 2 weeks ago, it was each astir Cole Palmer for Chelsea. When the erstwhile Manchester City guardant plays well, helium usually scores and Chelsea thin to win.

But portion Palmer, 23, is inactive the antheral who tin instrumentality Maresca's squad to different level, £55 cardinal summertime signing João Pedro has arrived to stock the load with Palmer and springiness Chelsea a sharper cutting borderline up front. The erstwhile Brighton & Hove Albion guardant said he was "on the beach" successful Brazil erstwhile the Chelsea woody was done halfway done the tournament, but helium made an contiguous interaction by scoring doubly against erstwhile squad Fluminense successful the semifinal.

With Chelsea besides adding erstwhile Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap and ex-Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens to their squad this summer, Maresca has plentifulness of attacking options, but the players who could wounded PSG are Palmer and João Pedro.

One cardinal constituent for Chelsea is the fittingness of midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who limped retired of the semifinal with an ankle injury. If helium is unfit to look PSG, that volition marque stopping their midfield portion astir impossible.

The tactical conflict betwixt the coaches

Luis Enrique's PSG play a 4-3-3 enactment that is built astir their midfield axis of Neves, Vitinha and Ruiz. The situation for Maresca volition beryllium astir however Chelsea tin disrupt that midfield, particularly arsenic his 4-2-3-1 enactment volition permission the Blues outnumbered successful the halfway of the pitch.

PSG are truthful beardown successful the midfield country that Maresca volition astir surely person to tweak his strategy to beryllium capable to vie with the European champions. PSG support the shot truthful good that it would beryllium incredibly risky if Maresca sticks with his two-man midfield -- a hazard that volition beryllium exacerbated if Caicedo fails to flooded his injury.

But it is not conscionable astir stopping PSG successful midfield. Their attacking fullbacks Hakimi and Mendes, successful tandem with wingers Doué and Kvaratskhelia, volition marque beingness incredibly pugnacious for Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Reece James. Both Cucurella and James similar to attack, but they volition person to enactment backmost to nullify PSG's menace retired wide.

Why are PSG truthful good?

Luis Enrique was blessed to spot Kylian Mbappé permission PSG a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile the guardant ran down his declaration to articulation Real Madrid arsenic a escaped agent. The manager tried and failed to marque Mbappé enactment harder for the squad -- the nonaccomplishment was astir apt connected Mbappé's portion alternatively than Luis Enrique's -- truthful his departure was regarded arsenic nary large nonaccomplishment due to the fact that it enabled the manager to physique a squad of players who enactment incredibly hard for the side.

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Laurens: Dembélé has secured Ballon d'Or astatine Club World Cup

Julien Laurens reacts to Ousmane Dembélé's performances astatine the Club World Cup.

That is the quality of this PSG team. They tin beryllium mesmerizing to ticker with their passing and dribbling, but it is each built connected the rock-solid instauration of teamwork.

At halftime successful the semifinal, FIFA produced a stat that showed that Madrid's mean shot betterment clip was 45 seconds. PSG's fig was 23.

In a nutshell, that said everything. The champion squad successful the satellite was moving doubly arsenic hard arsenic its opponents. That's wherefore PSG are truthful good.

How tin Chelsea win?

This is specified a pugnacious situation for Chelsea. If you had to prime a combined squad from the 2 sides, it would beryllium hard to warrant selecting immoderate Chelsea subordinate up of his PSG counterpart.

But shot tin be, and often is, unpredictable, truthful Chelsea person a puncher's accidental connected Sunday.

If they are to win, they volition request to people aboriginal and past outrun Luis Enrique's squad successful each department. They volition besides person to triumph the midfield battle.

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Enzo Fernandez calls for World Cup docket alteration to debar 'dangerous' heat

Enzo Fernandez talks astir the playing conditions astatine the Club World Cup up of the last betwixt Chelsea and PSG.

Mistakes astatine the backmost person been an contented for Chelsea, particularly successful goal, but they volition person to chopped retired each the lapses of attraction to person a anticipation of winning the game. Even if they bash each of the above, they inactive volition request a infinitesimal of genius from Palmer oregon João Pedro.

Sounds astir impossible, right? That's the situation facing Chelsea, but they inactive person a chance.

Who volition win?

It has to beryllium PSG. They are, by immoderate distance, the champion squad successful the satellite close now. They mightiness adjacent beryllium the champion broadside since Pep Guardiola's large Barcelona squad of 2009 done 2011.

In 3 games against beardown European absorption astatine this tournament, PSG person scored 10 goals and conceded none, and Chelsea are not arsenic beardown arsenic the Atlético, Bayern and Madrid sides that PSG person beaten. Chelsea are a young squad led by a young coach, and they are inactive a enactment successful progress, truthful it could beryllium a precise hard day connected Sunday.

But those are the levels successful a Club World Cup final, and PSG are successful a league of their own, truthful they volition win, and they volition triumph comfortably.

Scoreline: 3-0