Part of the appeal of the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is the prospect of getting matches that deserve to be finals several rounds earlier. This quarterfinal clash between French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain and German giants Bayern Münich certainly qualifies.
Only one of these two teams can advance to Wednesday’s semifinal, where they’ll face the winner between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. On paper, it’s the tougher side of the bracket, but as Fluminense, Al Hilal, Chelsea, and Palmeiras proved yesterday, there’s no such thing as easy when it comes to the world’s best sides.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering single-use Profit Boost Tokens throughout the Club World Cup, eligible to use on 4+ leg SGP(x)s that are +300 or longer. Here’s my favorite for the Club World Cup’s fifth-to-last match.
Bayern Münich vs. Paris Saint-Germain Same Game Parlay
- Paris Saint-Germain Moneyline
- Harry Kane Anytime Goalscorer
- Over 9.5 Corners
- Achraf Hakimi 2+ Shots
This match absolutely deserves to be the final. Even when taking into account PSG’s surprising loss to Botafogo and Bayern Münich’s defeat to Benfica in the group stage, these two teams have been the best in the tournament, an honor that formerly belonged to Manchester City before its 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal in the Round of 16. Paris has had two 4-0 wins, one over a fellow European side in Atlético Madrid, and Bayern recorded the most lopsided win in the history of the competition by smashing semi-pro side Auckland City, 10-0. These teams rank first and fourth in goals scored and first and third in goal difference. Between them, I give the edge to PSG, which has notched more shots (and as many on target) despite not having the benefit of a match against Auckland City.
Each of these teams plays attacking football with playmakers all over the pitch. PSG’s right-back, Achraf Hakimi, is probably the best goal-scoring defender in the world and one of just seven African players ever to score in a Champions League final. He’s already uncorked nine shots this tournament, putting five on target and scoring two goals, tied for the second-most on the team. Given the magnitude of the match, he’ll play all 90 minutes and should be a good bet to attempt two or more shots for the fourth straight competition. Hakimi’s counterpart at Bayern, Konrad Laimer, is just as effective in attack, ranking in the top quartile among fullbacks in Europe’s top five leagues in all distribution-oriented stats.
The game should be fast and physical from end to end, which means both elite goalkeepers — Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Neuer — should be tested, leading to corners. Bayern and PSG have each earned six or more corners in three of their four matches, so 9.5 in total seems like an easy total to hit. Of the two shot-stoppers, I prefer Donnarumma; he ranks second in save percentage so far this competition (87.5%), while Neuer ranks 18th (70.0%). I still think Kane will beat him once: he’s netted thrice this tournament, converting both of his shots on target in the Round of 16 against Flamengo, and he might well be the most clinical striker in the world. It just won’t be enough to stop Hakimi, Khvicha Kvarastkhelia, Ballon d’Or favorite Ousmane Dembélé, and PSG’s ferocious front line.
