A European top duel in the Club World Cup quarter-finals! FC Bayern take on Paris Saint-Germain in Atlanta on Saturday (live text from 12:00 local time and 18:00 CEST on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). Munich aim to build on their strong performances so far in the Club World Cup against the UEFA Champions League winners and advance to the semi-finals. We’ve put together all the key information for you in our preview.
The photos from Friday’s final training session:
Latest news from Bayern
FC Bayern have shown a lot of passion so far in the Club World Cup. Munich turned in a strong display against Flamengo in Sunday’s round of 16 match, winning 4-2 to deservedly progress to the quarter-finals. Vincent Kompany’s men used the days after the intense duel to recharge their batteries before preparing for the clash with PSG.
“I expect PSG in their best form, they’re a complete team. It’s a fantastic challenge for us, I always like to play against the best opponents. If I were neutral, I’d like to watch the game. I haven’t seen a lot of teams that play as intensely over 90 minutes as Paris. We’re fired up for the duel and the chance to beat them tomorrow. To get to play against them is just awesome,” Kompany said at the pre-match press conference. “We know their qualities and have to be prepared. We can beat any opponents if we’re in top form,” added striker Harry Kane, who had bagged a brace against Flamengo on Sunday.
The opponents: Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain are enjoying their best season in the club’s history. After the domestic championship title and cup, the club from the French capital won the Champions League for the first time. “We’ve followed their season with a lot of interest. It was a nice story because not everything went perfectly at first, but they kept fighting and believed in their path,” said Kompany. Now PSG want to crown their outstanding season at the Club World Cup. Their performances in the USA have been convincing so far. Paris fell 1-0 to Botafogo after a rousing 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid in their first match, but PSG beat Seattle Sounders 2-0 to win their group. The French club went on to down Inter Miami 4-0 in the round of 16. “We’re up against Europe’s best club, but we’ll hit the gas again and win,” said Kompany.
We've taken a more in-depth look at our upcoming opponents:
Match facts
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FC Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain meet in a competitive match for the 15th time – the record favours Bayern, who have won eight and lost six matches. They have won all of their last four matches against PSG without conceding a goal!
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Bayern and Paris last met in this season’s Champions League league phase, Munich winning 1-0 at the Allianz Arena.
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PSG and Bayern are the two teams who exerted the most pressure in the final third in the Club World Cup group stage, Paris creating 366 pressure situations to FCB’s 337.
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Paris Saint-Germain have scored 106 goals more than their opponents across all competitions so far this season, which is the best goal difference in Europe’s top five leagues – FCB are third in this respect (+99, with Barcelona second on +102).
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Atlanta’s stadium is air-conditioned and the roof can be closed, so the high temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius at midday won’t matter as much as in FCB’s matches in Miami or in Charlotte.
Team news
Vincent Kompany has all 27 players of the Club World Cup squad at his disposal. The Belgian said about Jamal Musiala: “Fortunately, he’s still in the tournament after he had to be subbed off with injury against Boca. We’ll see what his role will be tomorrow. But he has trained over the last few days and is taking the right steps.”
Besides Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desiré Doué, Paris head coach Luis Enrique has fielded Goncalo Ramos, Senny Mayulu or Bradley Barcola in attack so far at the Club World Cup. Ousmane Dembelé has yet to be a starter. “I’m very glad to have Ousmane in the team again. Today’s training gave me a lot of information – but we’ll see tomorrow if he starts,” Enrique said at the pre-match conference. Dembelé has recovered from injury.
What the coaches say
„We won’t be in possession throughout. It’ll be a game of principles. One team will play with a deep defence, one team will apply a lot of pressure. That’s always exciting. And both teams don’t place great emphasis on possession but on winning the ball. PSG will apply pressure and be very aggressive in their counter-pressing. They say the same about us. It will be about individual and collective performances – and the ball has to go in. It’ll be a good match.”
FC Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany
„Our team have improved significantly over the season, especially in terms of efficiency in the Champions League – this progress is the result of hard work, not of a single turning point. It’ll be an extremely tough match against Bayern, one of Europe’s best teams. They like to have the ball and press. Vincent Kompany is doing a great job there, you can clearly see his thumbprint, even though it’s only his second season at Bayern. We want to win the match tomorrow.”
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique
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