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WHOs: Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Miami
What: 16 year old FIFA World Cup
Or: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When: Sunday June 30 at 12 p.m. (4 p.m. GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the accumulation on Al Jazeera Sport From 9 am local (1:00 p.m. GMT) before our live text comments.
The FIFA club World Cup serves a treat in the round of 16 while Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami against his former club, Paris Saint-Germain.
The Argentinian international striker joined the French giants, and now for the first time European champions, of the club he represented since childhood, Barcelona.
The coveted European success of PSG was not to come, and Messi headed for new pastures with his move in 2023 in Major League Soccer.
Now, Messi faces one side of PSG distant from many galacticos recruited to seal European glory, but full of young exuberance and the crest of their Champions League wave.
Al Jazeera Sport is taking a closer look at the match.
Why does Miami vs PSG of Messi have such a weight?
When PSG meets Inter Miami, he will mark a rare meeting of the great European football, all superimposed on old loyalty, recent regrets and luck for Lionel Messi to settle a score.
The Sunday game presents a convincing contrast of eras – a PSG side powered by young people and the energy freshly out Their first title of the Champions LeagueAnd an Inter Miami team has built ancient but iconic barcelona stars.
On the PSG touch line, Luis Enrique finds himself face to face with four players he led to Barcelona: Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
They are all now gathered under the coach of Miami, Javier Mascherano, another figure of the winner of Luis Enrique at Camp Nou.
“Luis Enrique is a phenomenon,” said Alba this week. “I am excited to see him and I will hug him, but when the referee denounces the whistle, we will try to beat him.”
Suarez, now 38 years old, thought about the impact of his former manager: “I already had competitive DNA, but he injected me even more,” he said.
Does the contingent of Barcelona have a story with PSG?
In another layer of intrigue, the Miami contingent of the former Barcelona players were all part of the 2017 “Rontada” against PSG.
It was the darkest night of PSG, when Barça beat them 6-1 in Spain after losing 4-0 in Paris during their draw of the Champions League.
It was then that the veterans of Miami were at their peak.
Now, they are counting on memory and rhythm, while the PSG nucleus has been reshaped by an increasing generation: Bradley Barcola, the Desire Doue and Vitinha helped to inject new energy into the Luis Enrique system, culminating in a triumph of the Champions League barely weeks ago.
How did PSG occur in the group phase?
The Parisian team arrives in Atlanta after a 1-0 defeat against Botafogo in Brazil in the group phase, which raised questions about fatigue after a long European season.
Although PSG remains big favorites on paper, this defeat has shown cracks in a team that has played more matches with high issues than most of their rivals.
PSG won its group with victories in its opening matches against Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders.
How did Inter Miami occur in the group phase?
Inter Miami finished second in their group behind Palmeiras with a victory and two prints on their name.
The messi-inspired 2-1 Victory against Porto was crucial for their progress.
Can the Argentinian axis of Miami eliminate PSG?
“It will be an honor for me in front of a great coach, one of the greatest I had in my career,” said Mascherano de Luis Enrique.
Now, in its first role as a major club coaching, Mascherano brings an emotional advantage and a tactical sharpness in a Miami team which, although physically limited by age, can still threaten, in particular with Messi in shape.
The great Argentina endured a turbulent two -year -old visit to PSG after leaving Barcelona in 2021. Although he won domestic silverware, Messi never found peace in Paris and, after his World Cup victory in 2022, some fans turned against him.
“I don’t have fun at PSG,” Messi told journalists earlier this year. “It was a difficult period.”
Mascherano believes that memory always leads him.
“When something is stuck in his mind, Messi gives a little more,” he said this week.
What went so badly for Messi at PSG?
PSG had arrived at the final of the Champions League, then in the semi-finals during the two seasons before Messi’s arrival, so it looked like the last piece of the puzzle.
Instead, they came back with him on the side, leaving the Europe Elite Club competition in the past 16 years of race.
Fortunately, having to adapt to Messi, with his estimated annual salary of 30 million euros ($ 35.2 million) after tax, as well as Neymar and Mbappe, may have increased the call from the stars, but that has weakened them as a team.
Towards the end, Barcelona’s legend was even mocked by certain sections of PSG support which felt that Messi’s commitment to the cause was not what he should have been.
Messi was a PSG player when he inspired Argentina to the glory of the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022, but there were only flashes of his genius at the club level in France.
His statistics resist any meticulous examination, with 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances, and he won two Ligue 1 titles while helping to increase the value of PSG as a brand.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano, on the other hand, believes that the unhappy memory of his stay in Paris could stimulate Messi.
“It is clear that for us, it is better if he plays angry, because he is one of those players who, when he has something in mind, gives an additional effort,” Mascherano told Espn.
How did PSG occur last season?
The superb demolition 5-0 of Inter Milan PSG in Munich at the end of last month, which allowed them to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time, ended an incredible winning season for the team supported by Qatar under the training of Luis Enrique.
How did Inter Miami occur last season?
Miami finished as The club with the most points In the regular season of Major League Soccer (MLS), giving them a place at the Club World Cup instead of the Galaxy, which won the MLS Cup, which is considered the highest price of the MLS.
FIFA announced the addition of Miami to the club World Cup in October after having broken MLS regular seasonal points record with a 6-2 victory against the New England Revolution to reach 74 points, a better than the previous record set by New England in 2021.
News from the PSG team
Ousmane Dembele has just resumed training after overcoming an injury to the hamstrings, but may not even be in good shape for the bench.
Goncalo Ramos and Bradley Barcola are arguing to start with Désure Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in. The young Senny Mayulu was selected for the match against Seattle in the role of Dembele.
Inter Miami Team News
Jordi Alba returned from an injury and will challenge the young Noah Allen for the left rear position.
Drake Callender, Gonzalo Lujan and Yannick Bright are still sidelined. The veteran goalkeeper Oscar Ustari will continue to depute for the first.
PSG planned the starting range:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; KVaratskhelia, Ramos, Doue
Inter Miami predicted the starting program:
Ustari; Weigandt, Aviles, Falcon, Allen; Allende, Redondo, Busquets, Segovia; Messi, Suarez
Guide to the PSG form (all competitions):
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Inter Miami Form Guide (all competitions):
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