Champions League winners PSG face fellow European side Atletico Madrid in their opening group game at the Club World Cup at Rose Bowl Stadium.
PSG vs ATL Match Details
Date: Sunday, 15 June 2025 / Monday, 16 June 2025
Time: 12:00 (PDT) / 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium, California
PSG vs ATL Match Preview
PSG endured the most memorable campaign in the club’s history as they were crowned Champions League winners for the very first time after years of heartbreak and with style after mauling Inter 5-0 in a record-breaking final. Luis Enrique’s side also became the first French side to complete a historic treble after claiming the league and cup titles, while he became only the second coach to oversee a treble-winning season at two different clubs. Their success is remarkable in the sense that they overcame their superstar-hunting mentality and focused on building a proper team to claim the silverware they desired for so long after the Qatari takeover, without the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappé. With confidence soaring high for the side, the Parisians will now debut in the Club World Cup in the expanded edition this season, fulfilling qualification criteria by being among the 12 best sides in UEFA rankings, wishing to be world champions this time. They are certainly favourites to be remembered as the first champions of the tournament, which hopes to match the value of the international World Cup in the future, although it depends on their seriousness for the trophy. PSG will face the only real challenger for the top spot in Atletico Madrid in the first game, as Botafogo and Seattle Sounders are unlikely to match their levels, which will also become the group decider.
On the polar opposite stands Atletico Madrid, having finished their season without winning any trophy despite pushing on all fronts in all competitions available. Diego Simeone’s side lost the three-horse title race to Barcelona to finish third, with the Catalan giants also eliminating them in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. They were also frustrated in the Champions League by city rivals Real Madrid in a highly disappointing season, even though they revived themselves a little bit at the end of it. So, the Club World Cup, where Atletico are also making their debut after being among the best-ranked teams in Europe, gives them a chance for redemption. Los Rojiblancos have thrived in circumstances where they have been dubbed as dark horses for the competition and will want to replicate that here. However, the 32-team format possesses a lot of challenges, starting with the group stage, where they will face PSG, even though second place will be enough to qualify for the knockouts. Still, Atletico would want to prove a point in the tournament opener, albeit their defence facing the most lethal attack in Europe, having beaten PSG in their only other competitive meeting 2-1 in the League Phase of the Champions League season. But the situation was very different back then and it is a question mark for them as well as PSG if they could properly implement their strategy in an unknown venue under the Californian heat.
PSG vs ATL Recent Form (all competitions)
PSG: WWWWW
ATL: DWLWW
PSG vs ATL Predicted Lineups
PSG
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Barcola, Doue, Kvaratskhelia
Atletico Madrid
Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Gallagher, Lino; Sorloth, Alvarez
PSG vs ATL Dream11 Match Prediction
While Atletico Madrid could trouble any side with their solidity and hurting through their final third combo of Julian Alavarez and Alexander Sorloth, PSG has been in a league of their own in the past season, stacked from the goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to their unstoppable attacking force containing Ballon d’Or chaser Ousmane Dembélé and Champions League final headline maker Desire Doue, although the former won't be available due to an injury. Both sides might go for a draw as they are favourites to progress from the group but it has a win for Paris written all over it. We predict a 2-1 win for Luis Enrique’s side coming fresh off that dominating final.
PSG vs ATL Dream11 Team Top picks
Captain Pick: Desire Doue
Vice-captain Picks: Julian Alvarez, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
Others: Alexander Sorloth, Achraf Hakimi
Our top pick for PSG vs ATL Dream11 is Desire Doue with 15 goals and 14 assists in 54 matches at 20 years of age.
Julian Alvarez has been the star player for Atletico Madrid since joining them last summer, bagging 29 goals and seven assists in 54 matches, while his teammate, Alexander Sorloth, produced 24 goals at the same time.
PSG vs ATL Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Donnarumma (Cr - 7.5)
DEF: Hakimi (Cr - 9), Llorente (Cr - 8.5), Mendes (Cr - 8.5)
MID: Simeone (Cr - 8), Doue (Cr - 8.5), Vitinha (Cr - 8), Neves (Cr - 7.5), Kvaratskhelia (Cr - 8.5)
FW: Sorloth (Cr - 8.5), Alvarez (Cr - 9)
Vice-captain: Julian Alvarez
Captain: Desire Doue
