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Match Overview
- Date & Venue: Sunday, July 13, 2025, at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (19:00 GMT) .
- Stakes: Chelsea aims to become the first English club to win the trophy twice, while PSG seeks their debut title .
Tactical & Form Analysis
Chelsea
- Path to Final: Beat Fluminense (2-0), Palmeiras (2-1), and Benfica (4-1) in knockouts .
- Strengths:
- Defensive Solidity: Conceded only 3 goals in 6 tournament games .
- Key Players: Cole Palmer (3 goals in CWC), João Pedro (semi-final brace), and Levi Colwill (returning from suspension) .
- Weaknesses:
- Injuries: Moisés Caicedo (ankle) is doubtful, joining absentees Nkunku, Jackson, and Mudryk .
- Attack Reliance: Generated only 3.72 xG in knockout stages—less than half of PSG’s 7.04 xG .
PSG
- Path to Final: Crushed Real Madrid (4-0), Bayern Munich (2-0), and Inter Miami (4-0) .
- Strengths:
- Defensive Dominance: Kept 5 clean sheets in 6 games, conceding just once .
- Attacking Firepower: Scored 16 goals (avg. 2.7/game), led by Dembélé (goal vs. Real Madrid) and Kvaratskhelia .
- Possession Control: 67% avg. ball retention and 91% pass accuracy .
- Weaknesses:
- Suspensions: Defenders Lucas Hernández and Willian Pacho are out .
Key Matchup Battles
- Cole Palmer vs. PSG’s Midfield: Palmer’s creativity must bypass PSG’s press led by Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz .
- Reece James vs. Ousmane Dembélé: James’ fitness is critical to containing Dembélé’s speed on the wing .
- Set-Pieces: Chelsea’s aerial threat (Disasi, Badiashile) vs. PSG’s Marquinhos—a deciding factor in tight games .
- Midfield Control: Caicedo’s potential absence could weaken Chelsea’s ability to disrupt PSG’s rhythm .
Prediction & Reasoning
- Score: PSG 2-0 Chelsea .
- Why PSG Wins:
- Defensive Rigor: 7 clean sheets in their last 11 competitive wins .
- Big-Game Pedigree: Dominated elite teams (Real Madrid, Bayern) while Chelsea faced weaker opposition .
- Attack Depth: Dembélé, Doue, and Kvaratskhelia can exploit Chelsea’s injury-hit defense .
