FIFA Club World Cup
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Club World Cup quarter-final action continues today with European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Given the strength of these two teams, whoever wins this tie will be well fancied to go all the way. The victor will face Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's semi-final.
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PSG were a very different team in the first half of the season as, at one stage, they looked as though they might miss out on a place in the UEFA Champions League knockouts.
One of the teams that beat them in the group stage was Bayern, Kim Min-jae's goal the difference between the sides at Allianz Arena in November.
And that match had some significance. It is the only time during Luis Enrique's reign as PSG manager that they lost and had less possession than their opponents.
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PSG are favourites to make it through from this quarter-final off the back of their demolition of the field in the UEFA Champions League, but they haven't always had it easy in these matches.
In fact, Bayern have won each of their last four matches against today's opponents. And PSG have lost half of their matches against German teams under Luis Enrique (three defeats from six).
Perhaps a good omen for Vincent Kompany and his players.
The speed and incision of Luis Enrique’s attack look terrifying. Bayern have the firepower to be competitive, but I think they lack the defence to go through.
So I'm going to go for PSG 3-1 Bayern as my score prediction.
Bayern are known for their aggressive man-for-man press to regain the ball high up the pitch. The problem is, they are coming up against one of the most devastating technical sides in world football.
Luis Enrique’s PSG can hold possession for long periods, but are equally comfortable haring forward and punishing the opposition in transitional moments. If Bayern mistime their press or break their shape, PSG will exploit them. Therefore, Vincent Kompany’s team must pick their pressing moments with precision, knowing exactly when to push forward and when to hold their structure.
Despite the glut of attacking talent PSG boast going forward, their main man has to be the diminutive Vitinha in the centre of the pitch.
The 25-year-old is Luis Enrique’s metronome, with 494 passes being the most of any player in the competition so far. Step off him and he will control the game, but dare to get close to him and he will pop it round you.
He is simply a joy to watch.
Not an original answer, but given that Bayern have depended on their ruthlessness, they have needed Harry Kane’s finishing to be of a higher standard. And it has been: three goals from three different finishes, all dispatched with clinical precision.
Joshua Kimmich has had a good tournament so far, as have Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman, but Kane has been the key to their progress.
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Bayern have looked OK in this tournament. The match against Auckland City aside (when they won 10-0), none of the games have seen Bayern establish the kind of control they typically aspire to, but they have been resilient enough and have picked their moments well.
The wins over Boca Juniors and Flamengo were good examples. They were sluggish at times, under pressure at others, but in both games found the necessary quality when they needed it.
PSG have looked electric so far at this tournament.
The European champions' last-16 clash with Inter Miami was described by head coach Javier Mascherano as a “bloodbath” in the first half, with Miami unable to handle PSG’s intensity, pace, and intelligent rotations across the pitch.
However, there are weaknesses in this footballing Death Star. Luis Enrique rotated heavily, but Botafogo provided a blueprint on how to frustrate PSG with an excellent defensive performance in a 1-0 group-stage victory.
Unlike Luis Enrique, Vincent Kompany has shuffled his pack a little for today's game.
Leon Goretkza and Serge Gnabry have dropped out, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Jamal Musiala have come in.
The change in midfield seems like a defensive-minded one — Pavlovic offers more stability than Goretzka. Further up the pitch, Musiala is always a man that should play when he is fit while Gnabry is a nice player to have in reserve to make an impact if needed.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it, so says Luis Enrique… possibly.
He clearly doesn't want to tinker with the team that eased past Inter Miami in the last 16, so Ousmane Dembele will watch from the bench initially again.
The Frenchman did come on late in the game against the MLS club but didn't look at his very best having spent the first part of the tournament on the sidelines.
Certainly not a bad option to bring off the bench!
No changes for the Parisians from their easy win against Inter Miami, so that means Ousmane Dembele will start today's game from the bench — here's the team:
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And Musiala has been passed fit to start today's game — he comes into the team as part of two changes:
A little over an hour until kick-off in Atlanta, Georgia so it will only be a few minutes until we are passed the two teamsheets.
There will be star names on offer for both teams.
PSG's team is one that pretty much picks itself at this point with Ousmane Dembele now available for selection.
As for Bayern, there are choices to be made — Jamal Musiala was injured in the last match, so it will be interesting to see if he is involved today.
On paper, this looks set to be the best match of this Club World Cup so far.
Two of the best teams in the world, two of the biggest clubs in the world and two of the best sides to watch in world football.
Our very own Anantaajith Raghuraman wrote a detailed tactical preview of what you can expect today, so make sure to check it out between now and kick-off — you can find it at the link below.
GO FURTHER
PSG vs Bayern preview: Clash between two elite pressing teams leaves no margin for error
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From today's game in Atlanta, there are three Bayern Munich players in with a shout of winning the award.
4 goals
3 goals
We spoke to Luis Enrique at his pre-match press conference yesterday.
One of the French reporters noticed the PSG coach studying the pitch when he arrived at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier. This followed his complaints after PSG’s victory over Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field, where he said that the playing surfacewas a “big problem” because “the ball bounces like a rabbit”.
He was presumed to be happy with the pitch in Atlanta, where PSG beat Inter Miami last week, but apparently not. “It’s a bit worse than the match against Inter Miami,” he said.
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Ousmane Dembele gave an interview with PSG social media today in which he appreciated the "freedom" Luis Enrique gives him. I asked the PSG manager if freedom was the appropriate word to use here.
💬 "People can call it whatever they want. The player already knows the expectations. When we have a team like the one we do, where everyone is working for the team, the responsibility you take on is greater than just the individual one.
"If people want to call that "freedom," then freedom is fighting for your team-mate. Freedom is fighting for your team. Freedom is fighting for your club—playing football, which is what we’re aiming for."
One very nice line from Kompany on what the fans here in Atlanta can expect from tomorrow's game between Bayern and PSG.
💬 "Sometimes you have a low-block team against a high-possession team. You don’t know the result, but you know what’s going to happen. Here you have two teams who are used to winning the ball high up the pitch many times and make a lot of good use of the ball in every game.
"That creates what we’ve seen a lot here — thunderstorms, right? It’s a perfect storm. I would pay to watch it."
I went along to Vincent Kompany's pre-match press conference yesterday — he was typically erudite, full of praise for Paris Saint-Germain, but saying he is absolutely relishing the prospect of playing them again, having beaten them in Munich in the league phase of the Champions League last November, when not many people felt the French side looked like European champions-in-waiting.
The Bayern manager was non-committal over whether Jamal Musiala will be fit to face PSG, having limped out of the round-of-16 victory over Boca Juniors.
💬 “He has been training the past few days and is taking the right steps. We'll see tomorrow. It's important to be 100 per cent mentally fit. We'll decide tomorrow what's best for the team. We'll stay sensible.”