Chelsea v PSG – Club World Cup final live: Underdog Blues try to make history against European champions | OneFootball

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Chelsea take on irresistible Paris Saint-Germain in Club World Cup final

Chelsea have a golden opportunity to become world champions this evening but there is a pretty big obstacle in their way, in the form of Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

A fascinating Club World Cup final in New Jersey pits Enzo Maresca’s underdog Blues against a PSG side who look unstoppable, having demolished Inter Milan 5-0 at the end of May to clinch their first Champions League crown, and then thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in the Club World Cup semi-finals for good measure.

Chelsea have had a bumpy ride in the United States, overcoming one of the first shocks of the tournament – a 3-1 group stage loss to Flamengo – before seeing their last-16 tie with Benfica marred by a two-hour weather delay. But they bounced back and comfortably dispatched Fluminense in a dominant display at the semi-final stage.

They now have a date with destiny at MetLife Stadium, as Luis Enrique’s incredibly impressive French and European champions stand in their way of an unlikely triumph and a huge payday.

Team news

Early boost for Chelsea as Moises Caicedo is deemed fit enough to start after suffering an injury scare against Fluminense. Joao Pedro also starts again after his semi-final brace.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Neto, Fernandez, Palmer; Joao Pedro.

PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Beraldo, Marquinhos, Mendes; Fabian, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.

Enzo Maresca will not change his preparations to face ‘best in the world’ PSG

The odds are stacked against Chelsea this evening but boss Enzo Maresca is taking no notice of pre-match predictions.

“For sure they are a top team, the best team in the world, but every game is different,” said the Chelsea manager.

“I agree with most people, that they are the best in Europe, the best in the world, and the reason why is because they are showing this – they showed it in France, they showed in the Champions League, they are showing in this competition. They are a reference not only for me, but for all people who love football. I really like them, I really enjoy watching them but, at the same time, we are here to try to do our best and be different.

“What worries me about Paris Saint-Germain is what worries me about any team. The way I prepare for the game on Sunday is the same way I prepared for the game against Fluminense.

“It doesn’t change much for me. I try to see where we can hurt them, I try to see where I can prevent them from hurting us and from there I prepare for the game.”

(Getty Images)

Police on high alert in France for Club World Cup final

Tens of thousands of police officers will be deployed in France on Sunday night as Paris Saint-Germain takes on Chelsea in the Club World Cup final thousands of miles away in the United States.

French officials have warned that no fan misbehavior will be tolerated after violence in the country marred celebrations of PSG winning its first Champions League trophy in Germany.

“No gatherings will be tolerated on the Champs-Elysées,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told RMC media. “A total of 11,500 police and gendarmes will be mobilized in Paris on Sunday, and 53,000 throughout France.”

French police are faced with a double security challenge, with PSG's match at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey followed on July 14 by France's Bastille Day celebrations.

There was disorder in Paris following PSG’s Champions League win (Reuters)

Interview: How Marc Cucurella fought through hell to adjust to Chelsea’s ‘expectation of winning’

As Marc Cucurella engaged in one of his last press duties of what has felt like an interminable season, the focus of a table of journalists at a New York hotel, the left-back’s minute tally for the campaign sat at 4,912 for club and country.

He’ll expect to hit the 5,000 mark today - a figure only the most indispensable can achieve.

“I feel very good to be fair,” he insists, showing the spirit he’ll need against the challenge of the electrifying PSG starlet Desire Doue. But as he stares down the prospect of ending a year of almost constant football as a world champion, Cucurella can only reflect on the imperative adjustment in mentality that brought him to this point, now one of the most relied-upon, revered starters in the Chelsea team.

Read Will Castle’s interview with the Chelsea full back:

Cucurella’s mental war to adjust to Chelsea’s ‘expectation of winning’

Interview: Staring down the barrel of PSG in the Club World Cup final, Cucurella reflects on his mental transformation into one of the best left-backs in world football, as Will Castle reports

Luke Baker13 July 2025 17:50

Enzo Fernandez calls for change as he blasts ‘very dangerous’ Club World Cup conditions

Enzo Fernandez has not held back when revealing the harsh reality of what it’s like to play in the extreme heat that’s been experienced at the Club World Cup, with temperatures on the East Coast reaching as high as 34C.

"Honestly, the heat is incredible,” Fernandez said. “The other day I got a bit dizzy during a play. I had to lie down on the ground because I was really dizzy.

“Playing in this temperature is very dangerous, it's very dangerous - moreover, for the spectacle, for the people who come to enjoy the stadium, for the people who watch it at home. The game, the speed of the game is not the same, everything becomes very slow.

“Let's hope that next year they change the schedule, at least so that it remains a beautiful and attractive football spectacle, right?"

Enzo Fernandez is concerned about playing in the heat in America (PA Wire)

Luke Baker13 July 2025 17:23

The lessons Xabi Alonso will have to learn as Real Madrid humbled by imperious PSG

And here’s Will on how PSG demolished a helpless Real Madrid

Is it too soon to call this “vintage PSG”? This iteration of the Parisian giants has only really begun to come into effect over the last eight months. But after watching the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Inter Milan fall to their brilliance in Europe, this is becoming the norm for Paris Saint-Germain. They’ve now demonstrated their ability as a giant-killer on the global stage.

The mighty Real Madrid, one of the Club World Cup’s biggest draws to the American audience, were their latest victims.

To say that Xabi Alonso has been given a reality check in the Real hot seat might be a bit of a stretch. The gulf between the side he’s inherited and the footballing powerhouse sculpted by Luis Enrique was apparent before a ball was kicked.

But if the former midfield maestro has his own hopes of “modernising” at the Santiago Bernabeu, he has a long way to go before the Galacticos can scratch the surface of what has been created in Paris.

The lessons Xabi Alonso will have to learn after Real Madrid suffer humbling by PSG

PSG 4-0 Real Madrid: Alonso will have an eye at emulating Luis Enrique’s transformation of PSG after a humiliating defeat

Luke Baker13 July 2025 17:10