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Former Italian centre-back Marco Materazzi has picked Paris Saint-Germain as the favorites to win the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid. While saying that the encounter would be complicated, Materazzi forecast that PSG and Fluminense could face off in the final.
In a recent interview ahead of the clash between Los Blancos and PSG on Wednesday, the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner said (Madrid Universal):
“Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will play a very complicated match, so it is not easy to anticipate the finalist of that bracket, My forecast is that the final will be between Fluminense and PSG.
Ahead of the clash, both PSG and Real Madrid have registered a decent run in the competition. The Parisians have registered four convincing victories and suffered only one defeat going into the semi-final. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have remained undefeated, registering four wins and one draw.
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In the quarterfinals, nine-man Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 2-0. Los Blancos, meanwhile, avoided a late scare, having slightly edged past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
The duo of PSG and Madrid are amongst the strongest heavyweights in most European football competitions. Thus, the clash could be a tight one given the attacking and defensive capacity of both teams.
The semi-final between PSG and Los Merengues is slated to be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA, on Wednesday, July 9.
How have Real Madrid and PSG performed in their last five meetings across competitions
The last five meetings between PSG and Madrid have been intense, and both sides have been solid. The head-to-head result also reveals that both teams have registered two wins each and one draw.
Meanwhile, an average of three goals or more have been registered in four out of their last five games. This also explains why the encounter between the pair could be one to watch.
In recent times, Luis Enrique's men have shown that they have goals in them and are capable of defeating any opponent. However, Xabi Alonso would be looking to register a win to further solidify his status as Madrid's new manager.
Los Blancos would be relying on the expertise and familiarity of Kylian Mbappe, having previously featured for PSG. Also, Gonzalo Garcia, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior are anticipated to deliver goals for Madrid.
Meanwhile, PSG would be relying on Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, and Desire Doue to help eliminate Los Blancos.
