This Wednesday at 9pm CET (broadcast on DAZN) Paris Saint-Germain take on Real Madrid at MetLife Stadium in New York in the semi-finals of the 2025 Club World Cup. In a press conference, Madrid coach Xabi Alonso spoke about the match and the Parisian opponent. He had some strong words to say about PSG and the performance required to win. Kylian Mbappé, the 26-year-old striker who left Paris for Real last summer, was also mentioned.
Alonso “We haven’t talked about him playing against Paris”.
“We’re up against a team that’s been playing at a very high level for several months. It’s a very high-level match that’s going to demand a lot of effort from us. It will be a new test, a new challenge for us.
Is Mbappé ready to face Paris?
I’ve seen him in good spirits. We trained today and everyone trained well. We haven’t talked about the fact that he’s playing against Paris and his former team-mates. We’re concentrating on our preparation, nothing special.
Alonso: “We need to know what to do at every moment”.
What are the keys against Paris?
PSG press very high and like to have the ball. We have similar characteristics. We’ll need to know what to do at every moment, with or without the ball, and choose the right moments to press. They have great flexibility, a lot of rotation and dynamic players. They play very good soccer.
We need to have a clear idea of what we want to do, and above all the courage to play and create chances. We’ll have to play a complete game.”
As for Mbappé, the Madrid coach remains rather vague and avoids raising the pressure. He is also dodging any doubts about his starting berth, as he makes a gradual comeback from illness at the start of the tournament. Then there’s Gonzalo Garcia (21), who took the opportunity to impress. We won’t know who’s starting until tonight. But there’s no question of Alonso putting the spotlight on the reunion.
There are much more important things to come, with a great team to face. As the Spanish coach points out, PSG are equipped for a variety of situations and can change quickly. All the same, they have a clear philosophy, based on control of the game and intense pressing.
The Madrilenians must always be alert, ready to choose quickly and not afraid to try things. Of course, they have the quality to cause real problems, but the Parisians must also be ready for a complete performance. It’s going to be a great match between two very fine teams. There’s no magic formula for winning.
