Bayern, PSG Set For Club World Cup Showdown

Bayern Munich will look to reach the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals when they face reigning UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta on Saturday 5 July (6pm CEST).

Bayern booked their place in the last eight with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Brazilian outfit Flamengo in Miami on Sunday. Harry Kane struck twice, while Leon Goretzka and an own goal completed the scoring.

One major difference for head coach Vincent Kompany is that winger Leroy Sané is officially no longer at the club following his transfer to Galatasaray.

However, the return to fitness of Jamal Musiala, who suffered a knock on Matchday 2 against Boca Juniors and appeared as a substitute at the weekend, means Bayern still have plenty of options in attack, with Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry likely to start given that Kingsley Coman limped off with an injury against Flamengo.

PSG, meanwhile, breezed past Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the round of 16 courtesy of a 4-0 win, with João Neves scoring twice, former Borussia Dortmund right-back Achraf Hakimi finding the back of the net and a Désiré Doué cross forcing an own goal.

That was their third win in four matches at this tournament; their group stage loss against Botafogo the only result tarnishing an otherwise perfect record.

Fellow Dortmund alumni Ousmane Dembélé made his tournament bow in that clash, coming on from the bench, and could be in line to start against Bayern. Other familiar faces amongst the PSG squad include centre-back Willian Pacho, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt, and ex-Bayern defender Lucas Hernández.

Bayern have won six of their last seven matches against PSG, including each of the last four. They also kept clean sheets in that quartet of games.

With 16 goals to their name, Bayern are currently the highest scorers at the Club World Cup.

Kane, Musiala and Olise each have three goals so far at the tournament, one behind top scorer Ángel Di María, who has been eliminated with Benfica.

The winner of this tie will face either Real Madrid, Juventus, Dortmund or Monterrey at the MetLife Stadium in New York in the semi-finals on Wednesday 9 July.

Hakimi scored 12 goals in 78 competitives appearance for Dortmund between 2018 and 2020; Dembélé scored 10 in 49 outings for BVB in 2016/17.

Probable teams

Bayern: Neuer – Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanišić – Kimmich, Goretzka – Olise, Musiala, Gnabry – Kane
Out: Davies (torn cruciate ligament), Sané (transfer to Galatasaray)
Doubtful: Coman (knock)
Coach: Vincent Kompany

PSG: Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes – Neves, Vitinha, Fabián – Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia
Out: –
Doubtful: –
Coach: Luis Enrique

Bundesliga.com