The last four in sight
Men's football•
Paris Saint-Germain held a final training session on the campus of Kennesaw State University on Friday 4 July, ahead of their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 quarter-final against FC Bayern Munich.
Six days after their 4-0 victory over Inter Miami CF, which sealed their place in the quarter-finals of the competition, the Rouge et Bleu had a little bit of rest before several days of intense work in Georgia. Now the focus is on the clash with the Germans, who sealed their place in the next round by taking second place in Group C with 2 wins and 1 lose, and then beating Flamengo 4-2 in the Round of 16 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, just hours after Ousmane Dembélé and his team-mates beat the Floridians. On the agenda for the National Holiday in the USA: a warm-up, toros, corner drills and volleys in front of goal, and a shooting competition.
"I have no doubt that Ousmane Dembélé will win the Ballon d'Or. He's done everything, I don't think you can do any more, although I hope he does it again on Saturday!"
Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, who was at KSU on Thursday to greet his players and watch training, spoke to the French and international media about the match against the Bavarians and the performances of the Rouge et Bleu No10: "We're in the quarter-finals, you need to concentrate game by game. We can't think that we're in the semi-finals, because before that there's this match, which is very difficult, but we're ready for Saturday. This competition is new for football, for the club and for the players, some of whom have never played in a World Cup before. The coach, the players, me... Everyone is motivated. We're proud of the players and we're behind them. Ousmane Dembélé's season? It's been outstanding. I have no doubt that he's going to win the Ballon d'Or. He's done everything, and I don't think you can do any more, even if I hope he does it again on Saturday! The most important thing is the team, we have a lot of players who play for the team and that's the most important thing."
Back on the pitch against Inter Miami, the Parisian forward spoke to PSG TV during the traditional pre-match Live show about the club's current situation: "The squad is feeling very good. The two days' rest we were given after the game against Inter Miami were good for us, we were able to see our families. We went straight back into training after that, and we've prepared well for Saturday. We know that a match against Bayern Munich is always difficult, whether in the history of Paris Saint-Germain or in my own personal history. They're a team we have a lot of respect for and we're going to give it everything to get through this round. I think it's going to be a great game. It's been an incredible season. But as we've said from the start, we can't give up, we have to play our football and want to win everything. It's what we've done, but we've still got one more title to go. The mentality and attitude of the whole squad has been exceptional right from the start. We hope to finish the season well."
"We've prepared well, I think everyone is ready to give it their all and play a great game."
A win that would allow the Parisians to confirm their place in the semi-finals, and one that the capital club's midfielder Senny Mayulu and his team-mates are preparing for with determination: "We're feeling good, we're in good shape. We started the competition well with three wins, despite losing to Botafogo. We bounced back well against Inter Miami. Everyone is working well in training, and we took advantage of the two days we had off to freshen up, which was good for us. We need to continue like this. We're already very focused, we've had a good start to the week and worked hard, both tactically and mentally. We feel good, we've prepared seriously for the match. We're going to do everything we can to win the game," added the Titi.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola agrees: "The days off did us a world of good. We've all come back very fresh and we're back to work to be ready for this big game. We want to get revenge for the defeat we suffered in the Champions League group stage. We've prepared well, and I think everyone is ready to give it their all and play a great game," concluded the Rouge et Bleu number 29.