Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain face German giants Bayern Munich in FIFA’s Club World Cup quarterfinals.
Who: PSG vs Bayern Munich
What: FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When: Saturday, July 4 at 12pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 9am local (13:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Fresh from lifting the UEFA Champions League for the first time, Paris Saint-Germain will continue their plight for a first FIFA Club World Cup when they face German giants Bayern Munich.
The Parisian lifted both the French league and cup along with their European success this season, while Bayern won their 34th Bundesliga title.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the all-European clash for a place in the final four.
How did PSG reach the quarterfinals?
PSG lost their final group stage match 1–0 to Brazil’s Botafogo, but progressed with earlier wins against Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders.
A meeting with former star Lionel Messi awaited in the round of 16, where the Parisians beat Inter Miami 4-0 with Joao Neves netting twice.
How did Bayern Munich reach the quarterfinals?
The Germans opened with a 10-0 thrashing of New Zealand side Auckland City, before confirming their progress with a 2-1 win against Argentina’s Boca Juniors.
Benfica shocked Bayern with a 1-0 win in the final group-stage match, which left the Munich-based club to face Flamengo in the round of 16.
Bayern raced into an early two-goal lead before running out 4-2 winners with a Harry Kane double.
Have Bayern Munich won the Club World Cup?
Yes. Bayern had lifted FIFA’s club competition on two occasions – beating Morocco’s Raja Casablanca in 2013 and UANL of Mexico in 2020.
Who will PSG or Bayern face in the semifinal?
The winner of this match will play the winner of quarterfinal four – between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – in the last four.
The final quarterfinal match follows the conclusion of the PSG and Bayern tie, and will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Head-to-head
This is the 15th meeting between the sides, with Bayern winning eight and PSG six of the matchups so far.
Their first meeting came in 1994, with PSG winning both matches in the Champions League group stages.
The teams were also pitted together in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final in Lisbon, with Bayern winning 1-0 thanks to a header from former PSG player Kingsley Coman.
PSG team news
PSG could hand Ousmane Dembele his first start of the tournament, following his substitute appearance in the 4-0 win against Inter Miami.
Bayern Munich team news
Jamal Musiala managed 18 minutes after coming on as a substitute in the win against Flamengo and could feature once again as he continues his comeback from injury.
Leroy Sane has left the club, having completed his move to Galatasaray, while Coman could miss out with a knock.
PSG coach Luis Enrique’s pre-match thoughts
“At this stage of the competition, it will be difficult no matter who the opponent is. Now is the time to think about resting, we need to prepare well for the match, but we have the time to do so. We’re very happy.”
Bayern striker Harry Kane’s pre-match thoughts
“We have to believe [we can win the Club World Cup] for sure. We’re going up against a tough opponent in the next round, no doubt, Champions League winners. We have to be ready for that, but we feel like, on our day, we can beat anyone. It would be a dream come true to go all the way and win it, but there’s games before that.”
Possible PSG starting lineup
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos (C), Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Ruiz, Vitinha; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Possible Bayern Munich starting lineup
Neuer (C); Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Stanisic; Goretzka, Kimmich; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
