Paris Saint-Germain's New World

LOS ANGELES, SUNDAY — Paris Saint-Germain may hold the title of the strongest team in Europe after winning their first Champions League trophy in history. However, "Les Parisiens" will face a much tougher journey in the Club World Cup.

This tournament is like a new world for PSG. With the current format, the chances of European clubs winning are diminishing. PSG's struggle to combine the Champions League title and the Club World Cup begins with a match against Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, United States, on Monday (16/6/2025) at 02:00 WIB.

In the new format, 32 clubs participating in the Club World Cup are divided into eight groups, each containing four clubs. Each club within the group will meet once, resulting in three group stage matches for each team. This format is similar to the World Cup, where only the top two teams in each group are entitled to advance to the round of 16.

It is not an exaggeration for Atletico Madrid's coach, Diego Simeone, to state that every match in the Club World Cup is akin to a final that must be won. With such a format, every point will be crucial in maintaining the hope of advancing to the knockout stage. There is no room, however small, for error.

This is different from the Champions League where PSG became the champion. Each club must go through the qualifying phase by playing eight matches first.

There is a little more room for error. Plus, clubs that finish outside the top eight still have the chance to “improve” and advance to the knockout stages by entering the playoffs.

PSG is one example of a team that managed to take advantage of the leeway and eventually become champions. The team coached by Luis Enrique was not so impressive during the league phase with three defeats, two draws, and four wins. The results placed PSG in 15th place so they had to secure a ticket to the last 16 through a play-off match against Brest.

The opposite occurred with Inter Milan, who faced PSG in the final. Inter performed impressively since the league phase, finishing in fourth place. Inter's journey became increasingly convincing in the knockout stage, but ultimately reached an anticlimax in the final, losing five goals to none.

"This tournament will be very different from the Champions League, where you play in two legs (in the group stage). Here, there is only one match. It is more like the World Cup, where the team with the best performance will win. Based on my own experience, I think the outcome greatly depends on the performance of both teams at that moment. If you perform well at the right time, you are likely to achieve the place you desire," said Simeone, as quoted from the FIFA website.

Another difference is that there are no privileges for European teams in this edition of the Club World Cup. Before the new format was implemented, the champions of the Champions League and Copa Libertadores typically only began their matches from the semifinals.

This is because the champions of the Champions League and Copa Libertadores are considered to have a quality that is far superior compared to clubs from the Asian, Oceanian, and African confederations.

In the latest edition of the Club World Cup, this privilege was experienced by Liverpool, which did not need to compete from the outset. Liverpool only played in the semifinals, where their opponent, Monterrey, had already played earlier, making their players vulnerable to injuries. In the final, Liverpool emerged as champions after defeating the Conmebol representative, Flamengo.

The new format of the Club World Cup places each club in an equal position. The representatives from Europe and Latin America begin the tournament from the same starting point as their competitors. Consequently, the chances for European representatives, including PSG, to stumble have increased significantly.

"There are (more) matches, but being here this time is a bit different. We are ready, and we will take a holiday afterwards," said Enrique.

PSG has a bad memory of facing Atletico in the Champions League group stage. Acting as the host, PSG was defeated 1-2. Atletico won thanks to a last-minute goal from Angel Correa. Having the opportunity to meet PSG again, the Atletico players are highly motivated to repeat that success.

"The match against PSG will be difficult. After all, we are facing the European champions. However, this year we have shown that we can defeat top teams, so we are not afraid of anyone and we are excited to deliver a great performance. Why not aim for victory," said Atletico midfielder, Koke.

Atletico's chances of repeating their victory over PSG remain open. This is because PSG will definitely be without the services of striker Ousmane Dembele, who is suffering from a thigh injury.

The presence of the former Barcelona player in Enrique's scheme is very significant. Dembele's speed and stamina in pressuring opponents have always been a mainstay for Enrique. Losing Dembele is a major setback for PSG.

Nevertheless, Bradley Barcola, who was previously rumored to be injured, has now started training again with the team in the United States. Barcola offers an alternative for Enrique's team, which is characterized by high determination in every match. (AFP)