Underdogs Chelsea Look To Cause an Upset Against PSG Superteam in Club World Cup Final Matchup | OneFootball

The Club World Cup final is upon us, and it brings forth a clash between two teams that won European trophies in 2024/2025: Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. A contest between two of the youngest teams in the tournament is sure to bring plenty of excitement, especially with PSG entering as the favorites. Could Chelsea pull off an unlikely win and become world champions? Or will Luis Enrique’s pressing machine steamroll yet another European giant?

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have a point to prove heading into this final, with the majority of journalists and neutral fans having written them off as soon as PSG qualified. However, the players have not given up so easily, with defender Levi Colwill saying, “We are not Inter or Real Madrid.” Club captain Reece James also expressed his confidence, stating, “We’re going to surprise a lot of people.” The fans do not largely share this sentiment, with many on platforms such as X worried about PSG’s defensive record recently.

On the PSG side, Brazilian captain Marquinhos described the final as a “golden opportunity,” a sentiment echoed throughout their fanbase. The fans and the players believe. Most neutral fans have also confidently predicted that PSG will win. The club has offered €500 travel packages for their fans, so Les Parisiens are already out in force in the USA, with one video capturing the ultras chanting on New York’s famous red staircase:

Squad Updates and Form

Paris Saint-Germain has been the best team in the tournament so far, conceding only one goal through all of their games in a 1-0 group stage loss to Botafogo.

Chelsea has been in worse form, conceding 5 goals so far but only losing one game, a 3-1 defeat against Flamengo in the group stage. The Londoners have scored 14 goals so far, while PSG has scored 16. Pedro Neto and Fabián Ruiz are top scorers for their respective teams with 3 goals each.

In transfer news for both clubs, Noni Madueke has just completed a controversial £52 million switch to London rivals Arsenal after spending two and a half seasons at Chelsea. The Blues have brought in talented left winger Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund for £53m, but he cannot play for them in the Club World Cup as he has already played in the competition with BVB. Ðjorde Petrović is also reportedly close to a £25m move to Bournemouth in a transfer that has many Chelsea fans stumped.

PSG has had a quiet summer so far, but rumours are circulating that Marco Asensio and Milan Škriniar are both close to moving to Fenerbahçe.

As for injury news, Chelsea’s French duo Benoît Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are both still injured, with doubts still floating around about Roméo Lavia’s availability. Moisés Caicedo is expected to be ready to start after he was on the receiving end of an injury scare in Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense.

Les Parisiens do not have any injuries, but Lucas Hernández and Willian Pacho are both suspended for the final following their red cards vs Bayern in the quarter-final. The Blues have no suspensions as Liam Delap and Levi Colwill return after they missed the semi-final.

PSG losing Pacho and Hernández may not be the end of the world for the Ligue 1 champions, though, as Lucas Beraldo and Nuno Mendes were outstanding in their respective positions against Real Madrid. Despite this, Chelsea will no doubt still look to exploit these losses, with Mendes and Hakimi both being more attack-minded full-backs, which could leave space down both sides of the pitch to exploit on the counter.

Chelsea’s Predicted Lineup Up and Key Players

Blues boss Enzo Maresca has most of his preferred personnel available, so he will not have to make many changes to the squad that dismantled Fluminense in the semi-final. The Italian manager will have to deal with the departure of Madueke, but there are plenty of options to replace him. Here is what we think he will opt for in a 4-2-2-2: Sánchez, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernández, Nkunku, Neto, Palmer, and Delap.

Three changes are made from the team that began the semi-final, with Reece James replacing Malo Gusto and previously suspended Levi Colwill reclaiming his starting spot from Tosin. Liam Delap returns from suspension to start over João Pedro, but expect the Brazilian to play a big role in the latter stages. Delap brings some much-needed physicality up front, as PSG’s centerback pairing is relatively weak. There is no place for Nicolas Jackson in the lineup as he struggles to fight off Pedro and Delap for the starting No. 9 position.

Pedro Neto will be key in this match, being Chelsea’s top scorer in the Club World Cup and possessing blistering pace. He will likely play on the right to utilise his pace, exploit gaps left by Mendes, and double up defensively on Chelsea’s right side, as PSG is expected to have significant movement on the flanks.

Another key player for Chelsea will be Cole Palmer, who is likely to start on the left-hand side and exploit the spaces created by Marc Cucurella pushing forward along the touchline. Given PSG’s deployment of two aggressive fullbacks, the Blues will likely find success in exploiting this space on the counterattack.

PSG Predicted Lineup and Key Players

Luis Enrique will likely play a similar squad to the one that thrashed Real Madrid, aiming to do the same against Chelsea. We think he will opt for the usual 4-3-3 approach: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz, Doué, Dembélé, and Kvaratskhelia.

There are no changes from the team that started against Real Madrid, as their system in that game was evidently very effective. PSG are likely to press high up the pitch from minute one and put pressure on the shaky Robert Sánchez, trying to force him to make a mistake or try to play it long. They will have numbers in midfield with their flat trio; being able to create triangles with the attackers and fullbacks will be crucial to their attacking shape and breaking down Chelsea’s defence.

It would be impossible to discuss Les Parisiens without bringing up Ousmane Dembélé. Arguably the best player in Europe in the 2024/25 season, Dembélé has 35 goals and 14 assists to his name in all competitions. He will be crucial to PSG’s setup, likely beginning centrally but rotating with the two wingers on either side of him.

Achraf Hakimi is another key player in PSG’s lineup. The Moroccan fullback already has two assists and two goals to his name in the tournament so far and has been one of their best players this season. He can play high and wide, inverted, or even as a defensive fullback. The versatility of the 26-year-old is crucial in containing Marc Cucurella, who has the ability to secure excellent attacking positions.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 09: Ousmane Dembele #10 of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Achraf Hakimi during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semi-final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid CF at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Score Prediction