Two of the main forces of European football, PSG (Paris Saint Germain) and Real Madrid do on Wednesday (9) the second semifinal of the Club World Cup and can count on their scorers, absent at the beginning of the competition, for the right to face the decision Chelsea, which left the Fluminense of Renato Gaúcho in the way.
The duel between French and Spaniards starts from 4 pm GMT (GMT) at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, and sets back the first time striker Kylian Mbappé against his former Time, with the two at quite different moments from a year ago.
In June 2024, when he left the Parisian team, Mbappé was one of the main names in world football, coveted by the great teams in Europe, and left PSG on behalf of greater sports ambitions, after failing to guide his companions to the Champions League cup.
The following season, although he kept the goals in Real Madrid, the striker won only the Intercontinental Cup with the Merengue team, while PSG saw Dembélé take over the protagonism and guide the team to the unpublished Champions Cup, with an overwhelming 5-0 defeat against Inter Milan in the decision.
Due to the recent history, PSG is pointed out by the simulations of Opta Analyst, a sports statistical company, such as the favorite to reach the final, coming out of the confrontation against the Spanish in 58.69% of estimates.
Coming from a season without important titles and with serial losses for rival Barcelona, Real Madrid appears with 41.31% likely to reach the decision. The Madrid team advanced first in their group, after a draw with Al Hilal in the debut and victories against Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
In the round of 16, he beat Juventus de Turin 1-0 and, in a reissue of the Champions League final last season, beat Borussia Dortmund again, this time by the score 3-2.
Top scorer of the club, with 44 goals in 58 matches, Mbappé embarrassed Real during the group stage because of a gastroenteritis, starting in the second half at the knockout games and marking the third in the additions in the victory over Borussia.
The French national team striker is expected to take the position of young Gonzalo Garcia and start among the 11 holders in the reunion against PSG, which he left in June 2024.
About a year after his departure, the player still charges PSG in the labor court to pay € 55 million (R $ 351.3 million), which claims to be entitled for bonuses and unpaid salaries. The club denies having debts to hit with the athlete and classifies the charge as a “fantasy narrative”.
In May, Mbappé had also made a complaint against the Parisian team for bullying and attempted extortion of their signature, being removed from the cast at the end of last season, when his departure was already taken for certain. According to the French press, the complaint was eventually withdrawn by the player days later to avoid even greater wear with the club.
PSG, in turn, campaigned with victories against Atlético de Madrid and Seattle Sounders and the historic defeat to Botafogo, also advancing first in his group.
In the round of 16, he thrashed Lionel Messi’s 4-0 Inter Miami in a game that scored the return of Dembélé, the team’s top scorer of the season with 34 goals in 51 matches, and was out of action for a French injury to the Nations League at the beginning of June.
In the quarterfinals, Dembélé again entered the complementary stage and marked in additions the second of the 2-0 win against Bayern.
He should also start among the 11 holders in the confrontation against Real, in place by boat. “I could have come back early, but I preferred to wait and now I feel very well,” said Dembélé.
The semifinal represents a kind of early ending between the two remaining favorites in the competition.
Prior to the beginning of the Club Cup, PSG led favoritism among the 32 teams in the dispute, according to Opta Analyst projections, with 18.5% likelihood of lifting the cup next Sunday (13).
Already the Madrid team was the fifth main candidate for the title, with 9.8% chances, behind the already eliminated Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
