PSG and Real Madrid favourites as Club World Cup enters semis

The FIFA Club World Cup is reaching its conclusion. Four teams will play their semi-final matches in the next couple of days before Sunday’s final.

The pick of the two semis is Wednesday’s matchup between the two tournament favourites, PSG and Real Madrid, with the winner of the match facing the victor of tonight’s clash between Brazilian surprise outfit Fluminense and Chelsea. 

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There have been some surprises along the way, notably Man City’s exit at the hands of Al Hilal, and Inter Miami’s progression, marking the first time a team from the US has made the knockout stages of the tournament. 

Fluminense’s presence in the semi-finals is also a surprise. The Brazilian side qualified for the tournament by winning the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, but currently lie 6th in the Brazilian Serie A, four points behind leaders Flamengo. They finished second in their group, remaining unbeaten, and then knocked out Inter Milan and Al Hilal. 

Fluminense face Chelsea in Tuesday’s semi-final. Chelsea emerged from the group stages with a loss to Flamengo and comfortable victories over LAFC and ES Tunis. They beat Benfica in the round of 16 before booking a place in the semi-finals with a victory over Palmeiras.

In the first semi-final, Chelsea are the strong favourites, having been given odds of 2/7 to qualify for the final. Fluminense are 23/10 to continue their run and face either PSG or Real Madrid in Sunday’s final.

PSG started the tournament second favourites, and have done a good job of shedding their Galactico’s image this year, winning the Champions League thanks to strong team play and a core of youth. They topped a group containing Botafogo, Atlético Madrid, and Seattle Sounders, winning all three matches. They then put Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami to the sword, running out 4-0 winners, before beating Bayern Munich 2-0 to set up a meeting with Real Madrid.

Serial winners Real Madrid stumbled in the first match of their Club World Cup campaign, managing a draw against Saudi outfit Al Hilal. They beat Juventus 1-0 in the round of 16 before beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the quarter-final and securing a place in the semis. 

PSG are slight favourites to qualify, with odds of 7/10 to qualify for the final. Real Madrid are evens to navigate their way into the final match.

Odds on teams qualifying for the Club World Cup final, from Ladbrokes, correct at the time of writing:

The winner of the match between PSG and Real Madrid is expected to go on and win the tournament. PSG are favourites to take the trophy, at odds of 6/4, while Real Madrid are 7/4 and Chelsea 11/4. Fluminense are firm outsiders, priced at 16/1 to win the competition. 

Odds on winning the Club World Cup, correct at the time of writing, from Ladbrokes: