Even the biggest Club World Cup doubters might find it hard to resist watching Wednesday's exciting semi-final clash between the two favorites before the tournament, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
PSG recovered from a surprising loss to Botafogo to finish on top of their group and have since beaten Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Bayern Munich without letting in a goal.
On the other hand, Madrid also had a shaky start, drawing 1-1 with Al-Hilal, but they have won every match since then and will present a tough challenge for the European champions in New Jersey.
Team news
Centre-back Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez saw red cards in PSG's victory over Bayern, so Brazilian Lucas Beraldo is expected to partner with his compatriot Marquinhos in the defense.
Ousmane Dembele scored after coming on as a substitute against Munich and could replace Bradley Barcola in PSG's formidable front three.
Madrid are dealing with their own suspension problems, with new signing Dean Huijsen getting sent off against Dortmund.
Eder Militao is not fully fit yet, so Raul Asencio will probably step in as the replacement.
Kylian Mbappe scored after coming off the bench against Bayern, but emerging talent Gonzalo Garcia is in such good form that Mbappe is not guaranteed a start against his former club where he scored 256 goals during seven years at Parc des Princes.
The stats
- PSG have won nine of their last 10 matches
- In the last six wins, PSG kept a clean sheet
- Real Madrid have won four consecutive games, scoring three goals in three of those wins
- Both teams scored in seven of Real Madrid's last 11 games
- Young talent Gonzalo Garcia has scored four goals in five Club World Cup appearances for Madrid
- Real Madrid won 3-1 in their last meeting in 2022, but they had gone three matches against PSG without a win before that.
Prediction
It might be surprising to bet against the current best team in Europe when they are facing another European team, but Real Madrid have so much talent that getting odds against them, a team full of habitual winners of trophies, is too good to pass up.
Madrid have Mbappe available again, although they have the in-form four-goal scorer Garcia, and they also have solid players like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Arda Guler.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has greatly improved since Xabi Alonso switched to a 3-5-2 system, providing assists in each of Madrid's last two games, while the absence of Huijsen may not be as big of a loss for PSG as Pacho's.
PSG's system involves attacking full-backs, which could leave Beraldo vulnerable to counterattacks.
Asencio may find it easier in a three-defender lineup, and Madrid's fast attackers could create problems for PSG.
Madrid have shown progress in each game under Alonso, and while PSG is a formidable opponent for most teams, Real Madrid typically do not fear anyone.