Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain – with Ousmane Dembele leading the charge – have been in red hot form. Real Madrid were just the last victims of a dominant performance that saw the Los Blancos suffer a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the French giants.
Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca at the helm, have had a decent run themselves but the Club World Cup has been a mixed bag for them.
For the Blues, it's been Portuguese winger Pedro Neto striking on three occasions while Fabian Ruiz, PSG’s Spanish midfielder, has scored the same number. Enzo Fernandez has been Chelsea’s best creator with three assists and a goal to his name, while Bradley Barcola has two assists to his name for PSG.
Ousmane Dembele and Pedro Neto are both in red hot form (X)
Road to the summit showdown
PSG haven’t lost a single game in their run up to the finals and neither have they conceded a goal with their Italian wall Gianluigi Donnarumma stopping all shots aimed his way. PSG first beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 before finishing top of their group with a 1-0 win against Botafogo from Brazil and a 2-0 win against Seattle Sounders from the host nation.
They hammered Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 in the round of 16 before making quick work with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in a quarterfinals, proving their mettle after two red cards shown to Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez. In the semi-finals, they took on tournament favourites Real Madrid scoring two goals in the first nine minutes, ending the match as clear winners with a 4-0 scoreline.
Unlike PSG, Chelsea have lost a game and also conceded goals. Starting with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC, Chelsea lost to Brazilian side Flamengo 3-1 with striker Nicolas Jackson receiving an unnecessary red card. The Blues from London bounced back with a 3-0 win over the Tunisian side ES Tunis to take second in their group.
Bradley Barcola and Enzo Fernandez are the best creators for their sides (X)
In what was their best performance of the season against the strongest team they faced, Chelsea handed SL Benfica a 4-1 loss scoring three goals in the second half of an entertaining extra time in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, they made simple work of Palmeiras from Brazil with a 2-1 win before securing their finals berth with a 2-0 win over Fluminense in the semi-finals.
Favourites vs underdogs
After winning the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and UEFA Champions League Finals, PSG are looking for their fourth trophy to add to their shiny collection. With 16 goals and none conceded, PSG look not just balanced but dominant both in attack and defence with teams finding it difficult to get through their final line. PSG start off as favourites and any betting man will say the French side have a hand on the trophy already.
But what of Chelsea who spent 1.75 billion USD since the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Consortium took over the club's ownership from Russian oligarch Roman Abrahamovic whose assets were seized by the British Government at the start of the Russia- Ukraine crisis? Chelsea have a bloated squad filled with youngsters. At an average age of 23, the squad is inexperienced but hungry.
Cole Palmer’s chilling celebrations have taken over the Internet and America alike. New signing Joao Pedro has already hit the ground running. Add Chelsea’s past glory into the mix, you see they always function better as underdogs. In 2012 when Chelsea took on Bayern Munich at the Allianz in the UCL finals, nobody gave The Blues a chance and yet they beat the German giants.
In 2021, when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City made it to their first UCL finals, they were clear favourites and yet the Chelsea squad with Thomas Tuchel – their manager for less than four months – won on that night in Porto.
Even if PSG enter the MetLife Stadium in New York as the clear favourites, never count Chelsea out, who perform best as the underdogs.
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