EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Premier League giants Chelsea face the ultimate football test as they take on defending Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday from MetLife Stadium.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca said multiple times ahead of the match that he believed PSG to be the “best team in the world,” and their results through the 2025 calendar year seem to indicate as much. They clobbered Real Madrid 4-0 in the semifinals, just the latest step in their steamrolling of global football.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had the fortune of avoiding most elite clubs in the knockout stage, side-stepping a potential semifinal meeting with Manchester City after they were upset by Al Hilal.
The Blues have remained steadfast in knockout victories over Benfica, Palmeiras, and Fluminense but now face a challenge of a much different level.
MORE: Predicted lineups, team news, and latest injury updates ahead of Chelsea vs. PSG
Chelsea vs. PSG prediction, odds
Chelsea have impressed at the Club World Cup, of that there’s no doubt, but Enzo Maresca’s side are likely to meet their downfall at the final step.
As Maresca has repeated over the weekend, PSG are indeed the best team in the world. No team sports fewer weaknesses than the French giants, who have been carefully chiselled by Luis Enrique into the most complete team of them all.
PSG, quite simply, have no soft spot. They can strike quickly on the counter, or score goals from slow, meticulous possessional progression. They are brilliant at retaining the ball and can win it back quickly from the opposition. Even without vital defender William Pacho against Real Madrid in the semifinals, Lucas Beraldo stepped in and performed admirably.
Whichever direction they turn, there’s no way through for Chelsea in this match, and PSG will find themselves not just champions of Europe but champions of the world.
MORE: PSG midfield has potential to become an all-time great unit | Chelsea vs. PSG head-to-head record
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| Chelsea win (90 mins) |
+425 |
| Draw (90 mins) |
+320 |
| PSG win (90 mins) |
-165 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: -145 N: +115 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
O: -150 U: +120 |
| PSG to win the title |
-350 |
| Chelsea to win the title |
+260 |
Chelsea vs. PSG match facts
- Date: Sunday, July 13, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
- Location: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
- Referee: Alireza Faghani (AUS)
- Last meeting: Chelsea 1-2 PSG (Mar. 9, 2016 | UEFA Champions League)
MORE: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Chelsea vs. PSG best bet
- Pick: PSG over 2.5 total goals
- Odds: +185 (DraftKings)
Luis Enrique may have another dominant performance to celebrate after this one.
PSG’s attacking style is essentially a perfected version of Barcelona, with all the aggression in the press but no weaknesses behind it. Whereas Barcelona were exceedingly vulnerable at the back when the press was broken, PSG have refined their approach to leave them comfortable should the opponent play through their midfield line.
This makes PSG dangerous on both ends of the pitch, because they can put the opponent under significant pressure while still feeling secure in their risk-taking.
Incredibly, across the entirety of the 2024/25 season, PSG scored two goals only four times in Champions League play (including three of those in defeats). That is nearly half the amount of times they scored three or more goals, doing so on seven occasions, including a 5-0 romp over defensively sound Inter Milan in the final. The same is true at the Club World Cup, where they’ve scored four goals on three occasions, including against Atletico Madrid in their opening match.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been solid at the back, but their level of competition is in question. They conceded to both Benfica and Palmeiras in the knockout stage, and PSG should manage to exploit even the most minor of openings.
Chelsea vs. PSG prop bet
- Pick: Chelsea over 2.5 yellow cards
- Odds: +140 on DraftKings
- Pick: Enzo Fernandez 2+ fouls
- Odds: +155 on DraftKings
Chelsea will find themselves defending for long stretches of play, and instead of draining their energy reserves in the New York afternoon sun, they may resort to fouling to stop the action and give themselves a chance to win back possession on dead ball situations.
Should PSG find themselves in front by enough of a margin, it could also see Chelsea get frustrated, and that would be enough to force the referee to take action.
This is quite a low bar for Chelsea to clear, especially in an emotional final, and the Australian official Alireza Faghani might have plenty to do, most notably with Enzo Fernandez in the middle, who will be asked to cover a lot of ground. Averaging 1.8 fouls per game at the Club World Cup against mostly inferior competition, the Argentine midfielder could find himself chasing play and getting physical.
