Paris Saint Germain will make their first ever appearance in the Intercontinental Cup final when they face Flamengo on Wednesday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar.
As the reigning Champions League holders, PSG qualified automatically for the showpiece event, while Flamengo booked their place by beating Pyramids 2-0 in the Challenger Cup.
After a season in which they won almost everything on offer, the French champions are finding it far harder to repeat those feats. Their bid for a first global trophy ended in disappointment over the summer when Chelsea defeated them 3-0 in the Club World Cup final. Domestically, they are also being pushed hard, sitting one point behind Lens in the Ligue 1 title race after 16 games.
Luis Enrique’s side come into this final on a three match unbeaten run in all competitions, keeping clean sheets in two of those games. Away from home, PSG have picked up points in eight of their last nine competitive matches, although nearly half of those ended in draws.
Their previous experience of a cup final in Qatar proved memorable, as they beat Monaco 1-0 in Doha to win the Trophée des Champions, a victory that sparked a remarkable run which ended with three more trophies later that year. This will be only their second meeting with Brazilian opposition, having lost 1-0 to Botafogo during the group stage of the Club World Cup earlier this year.
Flamengo have not been this close to Intercontinental Cup glory for many years, but they fully deserved their place in the final after dominating Pyramids from the outset. Victory would see the Rio de Janeiro club lift the trophy for a second time, having first done so in 1981 when they defeated Liverpool 3-0 in Tokyo.
They are chasing a fourth world title overall and a third trophy of the year, following success in both the Challenger Cup and the Derby of the Americas. Under Filipe Luis, Flamengo have suffered just one competitive defeat since November, a period that also saw them claim the Copa Libertadores and the Brasileiro Serie A titles within the space of a week.
Flamengo are unbeaten in their last three away matches in all competitions, although they have dropped points in three of their last four on the road. Wednesday’s final will mark their first competitive meeting with a French side. At the Club World Cup over the summer, they split results against European opposition, beating eventual champions Chelsea 3-1 before being eliminated by Bayern Munich in a 4-2 defeat.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Achraf Hakimi will not be available for Paris Saint Germain after picking up an ankle injury, but there is better news elsewhere for the French side. Lucas Chevalier is expected to return after recovering from his own ankle problem, while Ousmane Dembele is free to feature again after sitting out the weekend win over Metz.
In that Ligue 1 victory, PSG edged past Les Merlus 3-2, with goals coming from Goncalo Ramos, Quentin Ndjantou Mbitcha and Desire Doue.
Flamengo are likely to be without Allan on Wednesday as he continues to struggle with a heel injury, while Pedro remains a doubt after suffering a forearm issue. In their Challenger Cup win over Pyramids, Leo Pereira and Danilo were both on the scoresheet, and goalkeeper Agustin Rossi played his part by making two saves to secure the clean sheet.
Paris Saint Germain’s possible starting lineup is expected to see Chevalier in goal, with Zaire Emery, Beraldo, Marquinhos and Mendes across the back. Vitinha should anchor midfield alongside Neves and Kang in, while Doue, Dembele and Kvaratskhelia form the attacking trio.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Zaire-Emery, Beraldo, Marquinhos, Mendes; Vitinha; Neves, Kang-in; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Pereira, Lucas; Pulgar, Jorginho; Carrascal, de Arrascaeta, Everton; Plata
EXPERT PREDICTION
PSG 2-1 Flamengo
