Chelsea have made it through to the Club World Cup final, where they will face PSG.
The Blues had a relatively soft run to the final after the draw opened up for them. They faced LAFC, Flamengo and ES Tunis in the group stage, and looked set for a second round game against Bayern Munich until the German side lost to Benfica in their final group game and changed the whole equation.
That meant Chelsea then played the Portuguese giants instead, seeing them off after extra time and a storm delay of almost two hours in Charlotte. That gritty win proved an important bonding moment, and subsequent quarter and semi finals against Palmeiras and Fluminense were a lot more straightforward.
PSG meanwhile have had a much toucher run. They saw off Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the opening group stage win with a performance that told everyone they were going to keep their Champions League winning form from last season going. A 1-0 defeat to Botafogo in the second game was the last thing anyone expected, but since then they’ve been back to their fearsome best. That goal has been the only one they’ve conceded in the whole tournament.
They beat Seattle Sounders 2-0, Inter Miami 4-0, Bayern Munich 2-0, before finally facing off with Real Madrid last night.
They tore into the Spanish giants with 3 early goals, then were able to drop down a gear and cruise to the finish.
If you’re looking at a list of safe non Gamstop betting sites to get your bets in, you’ll see that Luis Enrique’s team are heavy favourites to beat Chelsea in the final, and on the back of those results you can understand why.
For all that Enzo Maresca’s team have impressed at times in this tournament, they haven’t faced anyone with anything close to the quality that PSG are showing right now.
Athletically, tactically and technically they look a totally fearsome proposition, and Luis Enrique has them super motivated and playing at full speed all the time.
We’re delighted Chelsea get to measure themselves against the very best in the world – that’s what this tournament is all about. We return to the Champions League this season, and we want to see how we measure up against teams like the Parisians.
An extra day’s rest can only help us, although a twisted ankle for Moises Caicedo could kill our chances of a win before the game even kicks off.
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