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The Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup finally kicks off this weekend with a hectic set of matches taking to the pitch. Sunday makes for a very interesting matchup between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and his former club, Paris Saint-Germain. Despite international soccer traditions, these matchups are not two-legged, so it’s win or go home, as both sides will be competing to the fullest.
Catch the action kicking off at noon ET, but only after analyzing our picks and choosing whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
We all know what PSG has accomplished this season, taking their domestic league title, the French Cup and the prestigious UEFA Champions League by storm, making them arguably the best team (and the one to beat) in this tourney. Now, need to showcase their unstoppable ability as they take on one of the most competitive MLS teams featuring Luis Suarez and Leo Messi.
Recapping their Club World Cup start, the Parisians coasted over Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 win on the first day of group-stage matches. Despite the perfect start to the campaign, PSG lost narrowly 1-0 to Botafogo with a massive upset to set them back in Group B until they closed out a first-place spot with a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders.
While Ousmane Dembélé finished his Ligue 1 campaign in 1st place for most goals scored with 21 in 29 games, he’s still injured and has yet to see the field in the Club World Cup. Substitute Bradley Barcola ended the season with 14 goals, with center-forward Goncalo Ramos netting 10 in just 22 games. PSG has spread out their goals in this tourney, with players like Acharaf Hakimi and Vitinha hitting the back of the net once. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leads the way with a goal in his last game and 2 assists throughout the campaign, and I expect him to net another crucial goal tonight for his team.
As the MLS is ongoing, Inter Miami has paused their play, sitting at 6th place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 29 points, a +9 goal differential, an 8-5-3 record and 3 games in hand. They showcased a valiant effort in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but they were defeated 5-1 on aggregate after two legs in the Semifinals against the Vancouver Whitecaps. In their FIFA Club World Cup run, their first game ended in a 0-0 draw against Al Ahly. Matchday 2 against FC Porto was a major turning point for Miami’s playoff chances as Lionel Messi netted a 54” freekick game-winner to take home the 2-1 victory. While the team could’ve seen out the top of Group A with a 2-0 lead against Palmeiras with 10 minutes to go, they drew 2-2 in the dying moments to head to the Round of 16 as a 2nd seed.
Lionel Messi (with 3 games in hand) sits in 5th place on the goal-scoring charts with 10 goals and 6 assists in 13 games in the MLS and also leads his team along with Luis Suarez (1 goal and 1 assist) in the Club World Cup with 1 goal so far. Midfielder Tadeo Allende, who boasts 6 goals in the MLS after just 13 games, also hit the back of the net 1 time along with Telasco Segovia, making the team’s goal-scoring threats wider than that of just Suarez and Messi. However, playing PSG will be extremely difficult as Miami takes on the current European champions, and unless Messi can pull off some incredible magic, they will likely find trouble scoring.
PSG is missing their top goal scorer, Ousmane Dembele from Ligue 1, but the Parisian’s squad is so deep with options like Goncalo Ramos, Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola. Even defenders like Achraf Hakimi cause threats up top, it’s hard to picture Inter Miami holding out in this one.
PSG’s Kvaratskhelia will surely continue his impressive season with another 1+ goals tonight, and Miami’s only hope will be if Messi and Suarez can link up for a goal, or if Messi can find himself in a crucial dead-ball situation to make a difference.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.