A glance at the quarter-final line-up for the Club World Cup suggests that whoever comes out on top in the heavyweight last-eight showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on Saturday will be the favourites to go on and win FIFA’s new competition.
Real Madrid can never be ruled out, but the Spanish giants are a work in progress under new coach Xabi Alonso before playing Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in New Jersey.
Meanwhile PSG came to the United States fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League in style in Munich at the end of May, and Luis Enrique’s side have eased their way to the quarter-finals despite a slip-up against Brazil’s Botafogo in the group stage.
Bayern finished second in their group behind Benfica but the manner with which they disposed of Flamengo in the last 16, with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 4-2 victory, showed that the German champions mean business.
Vincent Kompany’s team have netted 16 goals across four matches and may now feel they have a point to prove after falling short in the Champions League — Bayern lost in the last eight in Europe to an Inter Milan team eventually humiliated 5-0 by PSG in the final.
“We followed PSG’s season with interest. It was a great story because things were not perfect at the beginning and yet, despite the criticism of them, they kept fighting and believing,” Kompany said.
“But that doesn’t change anything for us. We want to win.”
Club World Cup success would cap a promising first year in charge of Bayern for former Belgium defender Kompany, who led them to Bundesliga glory as they reclaimed the domestic title from Bayer Leverkusen.
‘We can beat anyone’
PSG eventually conquered Europe, but Bayern defeated the French side 1-0 in the league phase of the Champions League back in November.
“We have to try to take the energy and the good feeling into this match. We know it’s going to be difficult but we feel like we can beat anyone when we’re at our top level,” Kane, who has 41 goals in 50 club appearances since last August, told Bayern’s website.
PSG — who lost to Bayern in the Champions League final in 2020 — are fresh from crushing Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 in the last 16 and the dream of a world title to add to their French and European crowns is very much alive.
“We are having a historic season for our club and we want to extend it in this competition,” said coach Luis Enrique.
“Our objective is to go as far as possible, but to do that (and reach the final) we still need to come through two ties.”
This will be PSG’s 63rd match in all competitions going back to the start of the Ligue 1 season last August, and Luis Enrique is hoping for one last push from his exhausted players before they can enjoy a short summer break.
The build-up to the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has been overshadowed by the tragic death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota in a car accident in Spain on Thursday.
Four PSG players — Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos — were all international teammates of Jota’s and all played alongside him in the Portugal team that won the UEFA Nations League barely four weeks ago.
Luis Enrique’s squad held a long moment’s silence before training on Thursday after learning of Jota’s death, as did Bayern ahead of their session. – AFP
