2025 Club World Cup: Mbappe's Return Against PSG
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
The eagerly awaited semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off on Wednesday evening at 3:00 PM EST at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It will be superstar Kylian Mbappé's first official match against his former club PSG, from whom he has not parted company without a murmur. The explosive nature of the match is palpable and Chelsea London is already waiting as the final opponent.
The starting position: PSG and Real Madrid ahead of the semi-final
PSG have won everything there is to win this season. As undisputed French champions and cup winners, the club completed the treble with a dominant 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final. Now the next crown awaits PSG, who beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the quarter-finals. According to our FIFA Club World Cup predictions, coach Luis Enrique's team will go into the final with a broad chest and brimming with confidence in their own strength.
Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez will miss PSG after the quarter-finals with a suspension. Pacho has been a regular of late and will probably have to be replaced in central defense by the 21-year-old Brazilian Lucas Beraldo. Lucas Hernandez could also have been considered as a replacement, but was also red-carded against Bayern despite coming on as a late substitute and will therefore be equally absent.
Xabi Alonso started to rebuild the team as soon as he arrived in Madrid, introducing a new style of play for Real Madrid. This evolution has been enjoyable so far and the big winner of the tournament has been Gonzalo Garcia, who has now scored in three consecutive games in the competition. Garcia is the most productive player at the Club World Cup so far with four goals and one assist. But Real also have to improvise. Dean Huijsen was shown a straight red card in the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund and will be missing from the team's central defense.
Tactics and key players: how both teams want to reach the final
PSG generally rely on possession soccer and high pressing. The team has internalized this style of play and the successes are obvious. However, with their fast and flexible strikers Kvaratshkelia, Doué and Barcola, the team can also be dangerous in transitional play at any time. They have mastered all facets of modern soccer and are therefore always the favorites in our soccer predictions.
Real Madrid still rely on wing play and above all on the individual class of top players such as Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. Trent Alexander-Arnold's crosses are a trademark of Xabi Alonso's attacking system and create a lot of danger down the right flank.
Mbappé's return and the most explosive matchups
The situation surrounding Kylian Mbappé will unleash additional emotions on both sides. The striker will face his former club, where he no longer felt comfortable and then forced his move to Madrid. PSG now want to get their own attackers going and Désiré Doué in particular has impressed so far and could be among the goalscorers again in the semi-final. Ousmane Démbélé could also return to action after his decisive performance against Bayern.
But it will also be a special game for Mbappé and it would be satisfying if he could ensure that Real Madrid reach the final again. Alongside him, Gonzalo Garcia has proved to be a real goalscorer at this tournament and could end up being crowned top scorer. Will his scoring streak continue in the semi-finals?
Prediction, line-ups and everything you need to know for the semi-final
Both teams will have to make changes to their central defenses. PSG may be more affected by this, as two central defenders, Pacho and Hernandez, will not be available. Nevertheless, Paris go into the semi-final as slight favorites. The team has played the best soccer at this tournament so far and has already faced tougher tests than Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso will face the first big test for his team in the semi-final.
The game will certainly end up being one of the highlights of the competition. There are not many duels that are as exciting as the match between the current Champions League winners and the record holders.
