Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are set for a mouth-watering FIFA Club World Cup final showdown at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Both European giants are eyeing the coveted prize that grants the privilege of wearing a special champions’ badge on their shirts for the next four years — until the tournament’s next edition.
Teams’ Form And Recent Performances
Chelsea ended the 2024–25 season on a high, winning nine of their last 11 matches. The Blues’ late surge secured a top-four finish in the Premier League and a UEFA Conference League title, courtesy of a 4-1 final victory over Spanish side Real Betis.
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Enzo Maresca’s side have had an almost seamless Club World Cup campaign, winning all but one of their matches. Their only blemish was a 3-1 loss to Brazilian side Flamengo in the group stage.
Chelsea have Joao Pedro to thank after his brace on debut helped sink Fluminense in the semi-final, propelling the Blues to Sunday’s final.
The 2021 Champions League winners have scored 14 goals and conceded five in the tournament so far.
PSG have also been in scintillating form in 2025, completing a historic quadruple: UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions.
Luis Enrique’s men have kept their foot on the pedal despite their trophy haul, now aiming to add the Club World Cup crown to their collection.
In the semi-finals, PSG demolished 15-time UCL winners Real Madrid 4-0 in a one-sided affair.
The Parisians have won five of their six matches in the tournament, with their only loss coming against Botafogo — also in the group stage. They’ve kept five clean sheets, scored 16 goals, and conceded just once.
Head-To-Head Statistics
Chelsea and PSG have met eight times, all in the UEFA Champions League. PSG lead with three wins to Chelsea’s two, while three matches have ended in draws.
Their last meeting was in the round of 16, with PSG winning 4-2 on aggregate before being knocked out by Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
Team News
Chelsea
Moises Caicedo has recovered from an ankle injury, offering Chelsea a timely boost. However, Enzo Maresca may be without other key players.
Benoit Badiashile is doubtful, while Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo are sidelined with muscular injuries. Noni Madueke is unlikely to feature due to his imminent transfer to Arsenal.
New signings Estevao and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens are cup-tied and therefore ineligible for the final.
PSG
After being sent off against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, William Pacho and Lucas Hernandez remain suspended.
Lucas Beraldo is expected to continue alongside captain Marquinhos in central defence following a strong showing against Real Madrid.
Ousmane Dembele is set to start again after scoring and assisting in the semi-final. The Ballon d’Or hopeful demonstrated his class with a standout performance against Xabi Alonso’s side.
Key Players Analysis
Chelsea
Pedro Neto has been a revelation in this tournament, scoring three goals — just one fewer than his total in 35 Premier League matches last season.
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Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez have and Trevoh Chalobah also shone, with Fernandez scoring once and assisting three times.
PSG
Several PSG stars have impressed, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Ousmane Dembele.
However, Achraf Hakimi has arguably been the standout performer, scoring twice, providing two assists, and contributing to five clean sheets.
Probable Line-Ups
Chelsea:
Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro; Christopher Nkunku
PSG:
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
By Habeeb Kuranga
1 Comment
Chelsea FC on top of the world!
PSG were the faves, but football is a funny old game. Chelsea did not get that memo, and ice cold finishing from SMILING ASSASIN Cole Palmer and new signing Joao Pedro secured a well deserved win. With this duo, Chelsea can look forward to an interesting campaign next season.
No trophy for Mr. Hakimi. Well, he can console himself with the Champions League trophy medal in his cabinet.
Adarabioyo, the English born center back with a name that extols the Old Oyo Empire, now has a decision to make. Should he accept the invitation from the 3 Lions, which will likely come given his performance at the tournament? Or should he cast his lot with the country of his ancestors?
This is my take on the way forward for the Super Eagles.
To start with, we already know that the team is stronger defensively when we play 3 center backs. Yes, we can do well with the traditional 2 center back formation. Agreed. But when we play 3 in there, teams struggle to breach our lines. Even teams like Argentina found it difficult to penetrate us, and we eventually defeated them with this formation.
It’s obvious in my opinion that the best formations for this group of players is switching between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2. Why not stick to and finetune what is working well?
If we are using 3-4-3, a suggested line up would be:
Nwabali
Adarabioyo, Fredericks, Bassey
Aina, Onyedika, Onyeka, Agu
Iwobi, Osimhen, Lookman
When we switch to 3-5-2:
Nwabali
Adarabioyo, Fredericks, Bassey
Aina, Onyedika, Onyeka, Uche or Iwobi, (that is, select 3 out of these) Agu
Osimhen, Lookman
Of course, we should have capable replacements. For example, in the midfield, Ndidi, Ogbelu and Dele- Bashiru can come in and impact the game. There’s Bruno at left back, and Osayi at right back.
We have capable center back subs in Ajayi, Troost Ekong and Ogbu. The forward line boasts of subs like Chukwueze, Dessers, Arokodare. And I really thing we should inquire about that young boy at Chelsea, Tyrique George.
With formations like this, it will be very difficult for our opponents. I would have liked for us to use this formations in friendlies before the world cup qualifiers. Remember, 3 points in SA would pretty much land us the world cup ticket. This should be the overriding objective for now.