— Chelsea must somehow try to stop an irresistible Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) side from adding the Club World Cup trophy to their UEFA Champions League title as the final of the first edition of FIFA’s expanded competition takes place on Sunday (Monday in Manila).
Fluminense’s Yeferson Soteldo and Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella fight for the ball during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semis at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 8, 2025. AFP PHOTO
PSG traveled to the United States fresh from becoming European champions with a stunning 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in Munich in late May, and they have lived up to their favorites tag at the Club World Cup.
Luis Enrique’s side put four goals past Atletico Madrid in the group stage, four more past Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the last 16, and then proved too strong for Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.
They appeared to hit new heights as they tore apart Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid in the last four, when their 4-0 winning margin could have been far greater.
The Parisians now stand on the verge of an extraordinary achievement, as they look to complete a clean sweep of trophies in this marathon 2024/2025 season and add the world title to their French and European crowns.
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“That is the objective we have had since the beginning, but it is always very difficult to achieve these things — very few teams can do what we are trying to do,” said Luis Enrique after the semifinal.
PSG are therefore overwhelming favorites for the game which will be played at the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop — and which is set to be attended by Donald Trump.
However, Desire Doue, one of their standout performers during a remarkable campaign, insisted there were no concerns about complacency.
“We are not overconfident, not at all,” France international Doue told reporters before PSG trained at Rutgers University, south of New York City, on Friday.
“We have been favorites for most matches in this competition and throughout this season, but what matters is what we do on the pitch.”
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