Bayern stand before PSG in battle of Club World Cup favourites
Real Madrid can never be ruled out, but the Spanish giants are a work in progress under new coach Xabi Alonso before playing Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in New Jersey.
Meanwhile PSG came to the United States fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League in style in Munich at the end of May, and Luis Enrique's side have eased their way to the quarter-finals despite a slip-up against Brazil's Botafogo in the group stage.
Bayern finished second in their group behind Benfica but the manner with which they disposed of Flamengo in the last 16, with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 4-2 victory, showed that the German champions mean business.
Vincent Kompany's team have netted 16 goals across four matches and may now feel they have a point to prove after falling short in the Champions League -- Bayern lost in the last eight in Europe to an Inter Milan team eventually humiliated 5-0 by PSG in the final.
"We followed PSG's season with interest. It was a great story because things were not perfect at the beginning and yet, despite the criticism of them, they kept fighting and believing," Kompany said.
"But that doesn't change anything for us. We want to win."
Club World Cup success would cap a promising first year in charge of Bayern for former Belgium defender Kompany, who led them to Bundesliga glory as they reclaimed the domestic title from Bayer Leverkusen.
'We can beat anyone'
PSG eventually conquered Europe, but Bayern defeated the French side 1-0 in the league phase of the Champions League back in November.
"We have to try to take the energy and the good feeling into this match. We know it's going to be difficult but we feel like we can beat anyone when we're at our top level," Kane, who has 41 goals in 50 club appearances since last August, told Bayern's website.
PSG -- who lost to Bayern in the Champions League final in 2020 -- are fresh from crushing Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 4-0 in the last 16 and the dream of a world title to add to their French and European crowns is very much alive.
"We are having a historic season for our club and we want to extend it in this competition," said coach Luis Enrique.
"Our objective is to go as far as possible, but to do that (and reach the final) we still need to come through two ties."
This will be PSG's 63rd match in all competitions going back to the start of the Ligue 1 season last August, and Luis Enrique is hoping for one last push from his exhausted players before they can enjoy a short summer break.
The build-up to the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has been overshadowed by the tragic death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota in a car accident in Spain on Thursday.
Four PSG players -- Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos -- were all international teammates of Jota's and all played alongside him in the Portugal team that won the UEFA Nations League barely four weeks ago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Baller League CEO sees his format as return to 'old football'
LONDON (Reuters) -The CEO of the fast-growing Baller League says its style of fast-paced, small-sided, digital-oriented football is a return to the sport's grassroots not a betrayal of them. "We are the old era of football," Baller League boss Felix Starck told Reuters, saying his organisation's format harks back to the exuberance of kids playing with cones on streets. Critics say the Baller League, along with the similar Kings League, are a gimmicky distortion of the traditional 90-minute game, adding new rules and mixing online personalities with ex-professional players in teams. But Starck, in an interview with Reuters this week, said that football had been transformed into a 'product' and was therefore in need of a return to the "most-played sport in the world, which is small-sided football". The entrepreneur, whose Baller League began in Germany in 2024, hopes a new governing body will emerge for the format to ensure quality as well as entertainment. The Baller League expanded to the UK this year and wrapped up its first season last month, with online influencer Sharky coaching his SDC team to victory in a competition streamed by more than 1 million viewers on YouTube. The Baller League will also set up goalposts in the U.S. this year where, Starck said, "Football never kicked off' compared to traditional American sports. Starck said Spain was another logical future market, even though it is also the home of the Kings League, founded by Spanish international Gerard Pique. 'NOT AN EXPANSION RACE' But, the Baller League boss cautioned, 'This is not an expansion race ... We go to a country if we think it's going to be profitable and not just to go for expanding reasons. "Hype is the easiest thing to create but you have no sustainability ... longevity." Starck said the Baller League was more authentically sport-focused whereas other formats had "goofy Mario Kart rules". Though the Baller League has marketed itself as a "new era of football", the CEO said actually it also embodied the "old era". "We're trying to build a governing body around the most played sport in the world and give it some respect that it deserves and not have a president that never kicked the ball in his life take a penalty for no reason," he said, referring to a Kings League rule that allows club presidents to take penalties. "I don't believe we're building the same thing ... We should entertain on the pitch with the sport. And respect where the sport came from and how it evolved." (Reporting by Streisand Neto; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-France aiming for united front in Women's Euro clash with England
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - France v Iceland - Marie Marvingt Stadium, Le Mans, France - February 25, 2025 France coach Laurent Bonadei REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo ZURICH (Reuters) -France will put on a united front when they play England in their Women's Euro group opener in Zurich on Saturday, the team said on Friday, despite former captain Wendie Renard and record goal-scorer Eugenie Le Sommer being left out of the tournament squad. Coach Laurent Bonadei, who has spent a lot of time defending his decision not to bring the duo to Switzerland, told reporters he would be rotating his team at the Euros if that is what it took to end their wait for an elusive first major trophy. "In my mind, all the players who are part of this group have their chance to bring their stone to the building of this team," he said. "Tomorrow there will be 11 players who will start this match but I can already tell you that those who will start the match against Wales will be different." France are drawn in Group D with England, Wales and Netherlands, with the top two going through to the knockout stage. Bonadei's new captain Griege Mbock is set to miss the game through injury but the French have sought to foster a strong mentality in which every player is ready to step up, regardless of age or experience. "It's true that there have been a lot of changes over the past year but we remain a strong group, the French team. Of course, we have responsibilities that may be different at certain times but everyone has a role to play in this team," midfielder Sakina Karchaoui told reporters. "We are all present for each other, we are building a strong team, we have worked on all aspects. Now, there is a very good competition coming and it is up to us to show what the French team has to offer." (Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Elena Rodriguez; editing by Clare Fallon)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Chelsea given huge fine for breach of financial rules
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Brentford - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 15, 2024 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) -Chelsea have been fined 31 million euros ($36.50 million) by UEFA for breaches of its financial rules, while Aston Villa, Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais were also levied with large fines, UEFA announced on Friday. The punishments come with the potential for far harsher fines down the road, with Chelsea risking being hit with a further 60 million euros if they do not get their finances in order. Barcelona must pay a 15 million euro fine, with UEFA fining Lyon 12.5 million and Aston Villa five million. The teams agreed to settlement agreements which cover periods of two, three or four years, with the clubs' final targets to be fully compliant with the football earnings rule by the end of their specific settlement period. Additionally, Lyon agreed on an exclusion from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions should the French authority (DNCG) confirm the club's relegation to Ligue 2. ($1 = 0.8493 euros) (Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)
