Club World Cup: PSG take on Real Madrid in semifinal
After a controlled display against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, Paris Saint-Germain are 90 minutes from the final of the Club World Cup. To get there, they'll face Real Madrid -- get the latest with our match preview.
A dilemma in defence
After dispatching the German champions 2-0, despite finishing with nine men, all would appear to be well for the Ligue 1 McDonald's champions, but despite a stellar goal from fit-again Ousmane Dembélé in added time, manager Luis Enrique will have some tough decisions to make in this match. Dembélé himself is one of those -- with his sublime strike, the Frenchman sealed the result for his team, but doubts linger over his fitness. Having missed the first three matches of the tournament, he's only appeared off the bench in the team's last two -- does he have ninety minutes in him, especially against an opponent as formidable as the Spanish giants?
But while the play of Bradley Barcola has been impressive in Dembélé's stead in attack, Enrique faces a bigger challenge in defence -- both Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández were sent off late in the match on Saturday, and the two defenders have been hit with a two-match ban. With the pair unavailable, Lucas Beraldo will start alongside Marquinhos. The young Brazilian has show plenty of promise, but has been called on infrequently in the biggest matches, and will face a difficult test against former teammate Kylian Mbappé.
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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 8, 2025
Another test for Alonso
Speaking of Mbappé, who scored his own wonder strike as Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund, he is even less likely than his French international teammate to be in the eleven. Having dealt with illness since arriving in the United States, he is likely to remain on the bench as Xabi Alonso keeps faith with Gonzalo García, the academy product who has taken the tournament by storm with four goals in five matches.
In defence, Alonso has his own decision to make as Dean Huijsen was sent off late on against Dortmund, depriving him of a player who has been a regular since arriving. Raúl Asencio is likely to feature, but Aurélien Tchouameni could also be in the frame, either as an orthodox centre back or in a hybrid role. However Alonso decides to line up, his side will surely have their hands full with the French champions.
Predicted teams:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Barcola (or Dembélé), Doué
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio (or Tchouameni), Rudiger, F. Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Güler; Bellingham; Vinicius, G. Garcia
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