The FIFA Club World Cup final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, facing Chelsea, where European champion Paris Saint-Germain has revived, with these two young teams showing the future of the game.
Both follow the glory of being named the Club World Cup trophy and being nominated as the best club on the planet. They also chase just under $10 million in prize money the winner receives to receive the lowest revenue from the tournament.
Even these super-Kerity teams can help a little.
Luis Enrique's PSG is a clearer favorite than Enzo Maresca's Chelsea, so here are some important storylines to focus on ahead of the final.
I'm obsessed with the mid-game battle
PSG has the best midfield in the world. Fabian Lewis, Joan Neves and Vitinha are cohesive and are very good at pushing in with the puck and keeping the ball up and holding the pressure once they get it back. Chelsea have Moises Caseco and Enzo Fernandez, combat duoes skilled at breaking the rhythm and flow of opposition midfielders, but only two of them against the swirling dervish in the mid-season PSG.
The PSG midfield trio carves it out and causes everything else. However, if it doesn't get the ball quickly enough, the three attackers Osmane Dembele, Kvicha Kuvaratzkeria and Desire cannot stay high, become a constant threat to Chelsea's defense, and they become more isolated despite their incredible work rates. Chelsea's Kaiseko has been in sensational form for a while, enjoying his role as the main destroyer. PSG does his best to suffocate Fernandez. It will be interesting to see if Maresca starts with another more defensive midfielder matching the PSG trio, or sticks to his liquid 4-2-3-1 system and asks Cole Palmer to fall deeper from his No. 10 role to capture one of the PSG midfielders and influence the incredible rhythm.
What adds an extra plot to this area of the pitch is the fact that both PSG and Chelsea love to flip the fullback. Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes often appear in the middle and middle, with Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto or Reece James doing the same thing. This makes the important areas of the pitch even more clogged and unpredictable. It brings confusion.
Will Oousmane Dembele or João Pedro become goalscoring heroes?
Both teams received a huge boost during the tournament. The arrival of attackers that are clinical and can provide important cutting edge. Ousmane Dembele made a huge difference as he returned from his injury during the knockout round. His manager is calling on him to win the Baron de Ort (the award handed to the best player on the planet) as a summary of all this PSG side, as a summary. However, Chelsea received a strong, unique, powerful confidence boost with the signature of Joan Pedro, who quickly made a huge impact.
Brazilian International came out of the bench in their debut and played a major role in Chelsea defeating Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Then, in his first start, he acquired two beauty against his boyhood club Fulminence, sending Chelsea to this final. Joan Pedro recently relaxed on the beach and enjoyed an offseason break. However, a few days after signing with Chelsea, he appears ready to lead the offense in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Both PSG and Chelsea score goals from the entire offensive line, but with Dembele and Joao Pedro, they both provide dynamic clinical introductions to the offense. Of course, Kvaratskhelia and Palmer are PSG and Chelsea mercury talents, respectively, who can win any game in an instant with majestic run, eye-opening finishes, or clever flicks. However, Ousmane, Dembele and João Pedro offer drybin grand and hold up play to knit everything together.
Chelsea may have a deeper team
After an even more exhausting 2024-25 season of the 10-month 2024-25 season in which both teams played over 60 games, after a tough six-game run to reach the Club World Cup final, this final could be determined by teams using their benches and teams better. And Chelsea have a deeper team with more options, especially on offense.
PSG's starting lineup is very calm, and those off the bench are usually influenced and influenced by Bradleaver Cola. Afterwards, talented young midfielder and striker Goncaro Ramos plays the role of a cameo. Chelsea has an entire attacking unit full of international stars that bring to you to change things and try to turn the game around. Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Maduke will start with many big clubs, but may have been off the bench in the second half. Captain Reese James can also start on the bench, but it may be very important as a hybrid midfielder/fullback. Chelsea aims to keep it tight and stop PSG from dominating the game's tempo, turning to its bench to see who can provide the extra little spark that can decorate it to the world's champions.