The Club World Cup is reaching its final stages. The competition now features the eight best teams: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Palmeiras, Al-Hilal and Fluminense are the last ones standing. And in the end, only one will remain. Among all these teams, one stands out as the favorite: Paris Saint-Germain
PSG, Champions of Europe and soon to be Champions of the World?
Paris Saint-Germain’s journey in this tournament clearly shows why they are considered the best team in Europe. Luis Enrique’s squad got off to a flying start with a 4-0 win over one of Spain’s best teams, Atlético Madrid. Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to John Textor’s Botafogo, the Parisians bounced back well in their final group stage match against Seattle.
In the round of 16, they benefited from a favorable draw against Inter Miami, the team of Lionel Messi. While the Floridians boast one of the greatest players in football history, the American side looked outmatched by the Parisians. A dominant performance and a 4-0 victory saw PSG move confidently into the quarterfinals. Their level of play is high and they have offered some of the best football in the tournament so far.
As European champions, PSG now have their sights set on global domination. Yet they have managed this strong run without their star player Ousmane Dembélé.
Ousmane Dembélé the cherry on top
Ousmane Dembélé is having a phenomenal season. The Parisian forward has stepped up his game to reach new heights. With 33 goals and 13 assists in 50 matches, he has been one of the key players in PSG’s Champions League triumph. At 27, Dembélé has become the offensive leader of the club thanks to his new central role in the attack.
However, he had to miss the first three matches of the Club World Cup due to injury. The loss of such a crucial player is significant for PSG given his form.
But even without their star, PSG dominated. His return to the starting eleven is highly anticipated especially ahead of the clash with Bayern Munich.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich a match shaped by injuries
A PSG with or without Ousmane Dembélé is not the same team. His return is expected to significantly boost the squad as they face the Germans in the quarterfinals. PSG will need to be wary of Bayern Munich who had beaten them earlier this season in the Champions League. However this time PSG are the favorites.
In their Champions League meeting, Bayern were heavy favorites with average odds around 1.52 on betting sites. But for the Club World Cup, the odds have flipped.
Thanks to their European title and the return of Ousmane Dembélé, PSG now have odds of 2.25 on Winamax and 2.20 on Unibet. Bayern Munich’s odds are only 3.10 on Winamax and 3.15 on Unibet. These odds reflect Bayern’s injury concerns including the absences of Hiroki Ito and especially Alphonso Davies, one of the best left-backs in the world.
The odds clearly favor Paris Saint-Germain especially with the return of their Ballon d'Or contender Ousmane Dembélé.