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Two of the pre-tournament favourites meet in the second Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday as Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid clash at the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Both sides have selection issues as PSG pair Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez are suspended, as is Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen. The winner of this tie will almost certainly be the favourite to win Sunday’s final against either Chelsea or Fluminense, who meet in the first last-four tie 24 hours earlier. GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BET PSG can topple Real in New Jersey There were fears Paris Saint-Germain may lack the energy or motivation for another silverware tilt so soon after their stunning 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final at the end of May before this tournament began. Those worries proved to be unfounded, as the newly-crowned European champions picked up where they left off by thrashing Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opener. PSG did lose 1-0 to Botafogo during the group stages but that now looks like a freak result rather than a sign of any drop in their levels, as since then the Parisian outfit have crushed Inter Miami 4-0 and they then showed their class in a 2-0 quarter-final win over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. The Ligue 1 champions are a slick and well-organised unit with quality in all areas. Real Madrid are clearly a talented team, but they are still getting to grips with new boss Xabi Alonso and despite their run through to the last four, there have been some signs of vulnerability at the Club World Cup. Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Hilal in the group stages and in their last eight tie they nearly blew a 2-0 lead against Borussia Dortmund, hanging on to claim a 3-2 win despite conceding twice in extra time. Wednesday’s game will clearly be the biggest test Real have faced at the Club World Cup but PSG look fully up to speed after taking out Bayern in the last round, and the European champions can move a step closer to world domination by booking their place in the final without the need of extra time. Hakimi an outside contender for a goal PSG have goalscorers throughout their team and at a big price an anytime effort for marauding full-back Achraf Hakimi appeals. The Morocco international has been in fine form over the course of the last three games after a couple of quiet displays in his team’s first two group games. Hakimi scored against MLS pair Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami and then provided an assist in the win over Bayern. The 26-year-old scored in both the Coupe de France and Champions League finals at the end of last season, meaning he has four goals in his last seven games for his club. Hakimi is averaging 1. 8 shots per-game at the Club World Cup and has an accuracy rate of over 50%, so at 4/1 he looks decent value for an anytime effort in this huge semi-final tie. Get all the latest football betting odds at talk SPORT BET GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BET Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change* 18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile or app & bet £10+ on any football market at 2. 00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 6x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply, see below. Gamble Aware. org | Please gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www. gamstop. co. uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talk SPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware. org © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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