The first 32-team Club World Cup draws to a close on Sunday evening, as Chelsea take on UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
The Blues proved too strong for surprise-package Fluminense in their semifinal on Tuesday, as João Pedro scored both goals in a 2–0 win. The following day, PSG asserted their overwhelming dominance in an emphatic 4–0 rout of Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid.
Luis Enrique’s men were utterly superb in the East Coast heat on Wednesday, capitalising on woeful Real Madrid mistakes before scoring a third goal which epitomised their collective brilliance. They’re yet to concede during the knockout stages, and are favoured here to claim their first world title after their maiden European conquest.
Chelsea are searching for their second Club World Cup crown, and they do have a history of upsetting the odds in finals. Enzo Maresca’s side are the underdogs, and their tournament will be regarded as a huge success no matter Sunday’s result. It’s been a summer of experimentation for the Italian manager, and his side have started to respond on the pitch after a sluggish opening.
However, they’ll have to reach unprecedented levels to stun this supreme PSG outfit at MetLife.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the 2025 Club World Cup final.
What Time Does Chelsea vs. PSG Kick-Off?
- Location: East Rutherford, United States
- Stadium: MetLife Stadium
- Date: Sunday, 13 July
- Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT / 8 p.m. BST
- Referee: Alireza Faghani (AUS)
Chelsea vs. PSG Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Chelsea: 1 win
- PSG: 2 wins
- Draws: 2
- Last meeting: Chelsea 1–2 PSG (March 9, 2016) - Champions League
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Chelsea vs. PSG on TV, Live Stream
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea are concerned about the ankle injury Moisés Caicedo picked up in their semifinal win over Fluminense, but the Ecuadorian international will be desperate to start in Sunday’s final. His presence is crucial for the Blues, especially with Roméo Lavia likely to miss out again.
Levi Colwill and Liam Delap are eligible to return from their suspensions, and the former will slide back into Maresca’s starting lineup. Delap, though, will be consigned to the bench after Pedro’s heroics against his former club.
Reece James featured off the bench in the semifinal and could regain his place, while Christopher Nkunku is also starting to find his feet in a role behind the striker and will likely remain in the side alongside Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. PSG
Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Fluminense (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Neto, Palmer, Nkunku, Pedro.
PSG Team News
Ousmané Dembélé, after scoring off the bench in PSG’s quarterfinal win over Bayern Munich, made his first start of the Club World Cup last time out, and netted the French team’s second in their thumping victory.
They’re excellent without him, but Enrique’s side reach obscene heights when Dembélé’s in the starting XI. He should keep his place for Sunday’s final, with no reports of any more niggles after Wednesday’s semifinal.
The European champions could be unchanged with Lucas Hernández and Willian Pacho still suspended. Lucas Beraldo came in for Pacho against Madrid, but was barely tested by Los Blancos’ superstars in attack.
PSG Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea
PSG predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves, Fabián; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia.
Chelsea vs. PSG Score Prediction
PSG took advantage of a Real Madrid side that shot themselves in the foot defensively, and were neither here or there when attempting to win the ball back higher up the pitch. Chelsea are likely to perform with more conviction in all phases, but there are still questions over their pressing.
This PSG team can get at you in so many ways, and while the Blues will offer collective coherence, they, too, are bound to suffer like many before them. We’re talking about a potentially all-time great team here, and they’ll want to rubber stamp their supremacy by securing their first-ever Club World Cup trophy.
It might not be a battering, but it’s hard to envisage anything but a PSG triumph here.
Prediction: Chelsea 1–3 PSG
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea vs. PSG: Club World Cup Final Preview, Predictions and Lineups.