Garcia has been Real Madrid’s standout player at the Club World Cup so far with four goals across his five appearances in the competition. 

Garcia has had 11 shots across his five appearances at the Club World Cup (2.61 per 90) with seven of these attempts finding the target (1.66 per 90). This is a pretty impressive strike rate for a young striker that has added much needed balance to the Real Madrid frontline.

Super Sub could end up being important with this selection, Garcia is likely to be replaced by Kylian Mbappe should he be called off the pitch early which would give this selection an excellent chance of coming in seeing as Mbappe averaged 2.62 shots on target per 90 across his 34 appearances during the 24/25 LaLiga season.

Neves is often the most combative of PSG’s midfield trio as illustrated by the fact he’s committed four fouls across his 340 minutes of football at the Club World Cup so far. PSG are a very active side out of possession, Luis Enrique wants his side to press as high up the pitch as possible, especially in instances where PSG lose the ball in advanced areas. 

Neves averaged 1.51 fouls committed per 90 across his 17 appearances in the Champions League during the 24/25 season. This metric shows how PSG’s tactical approach leads to Neves committing fouls in games, he is more dogged in trying to win the ball back than Ruiz and Vitinha who do also feed into PSG’s aggressive approach off the ball, but not as much as Neves as his foul record would suggest. 

Neves will likely face up against Jude Bellingham at points here, Bellingham likes to engage in duels in the middle of the park which means that Neves should have a few run ins with the 22 year old.

It’s hard not to envisage goals at both ends in this semi-final when looking over the attacking talent that is set to take to the field on Wednesday. Real Madrid have seen BTTS in three of their five games at the Club World Cup, PSG have been a bit more secure at the back having conceded just one goal so far which was against Botafogo in the group stages.

Real Madrid will be without Dean Huijsen for this semi-final following his sending off late on against Dortmund in the quarter-finals. This will be a big miss for Madrid as the former Bournemouth centre-back had slotted in seamlessly to the backline. Real Madrid have improved slightly at the back under Xabi Alonso but are unlikely to be able to keep PSG at bay, especially in Huijsen’s absence.

This should force Real Madrid to come out of their shape and shell to try and break down a PSG backline that has only been breached once at the Club World Cup so far. They’ll be aided by the absence of Willian Pacho for PSG who was also given his marching orders in the quarter-finals.

Gonzalo Garcia has emerged as Real Madrid’s unexpected star performer at the Club World Cup. The 21-year-old has contributed to a goal in all five of his appearances in the tournament so far, scoring four times and providing one assist. His consistency in front of goal has been crucial for Los Blancos.  

Real Madrid struggled with attacking balance last season, but Xabi Alonso has addressed this issue by adjusting the team’s tactical setup. The new approach has allowed players like Arda Guler, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Fran Garcia to thrive. With the system now functioning smoothly, Garcia is likely to receive plenty of service in this match, increasing his chances of adding another goal or assist to his tally.  

The impact of substitutes could also play a key role. If Garcia is substituted, Kylian Mbappe is the probable replacement, though the Frenchman has seen limited action at the Club World Cup due to illness. Alonso is expected to stick with Garcia, given his reliability and form in the tournament. His performances have made him Madrid’s most dependable attacking player, and that should earn him another starting opportunity.

Tchouameni’s role in this new look Real Madrid side is really fascinating, he’s played the entire 90 minutes in four of Real Madrid’s five games at the Club World Cup so far which would suggest that Xabi Alonso trusts him a lot more than Carlo Ancelotti did last season.

Tchouameni is given licence to roam around the pitch in order to win the ball back, sitting just in front of the back four but occasionally blending in with this backline to create a back five when Real Madrid are under pressure.

Tchouameni picked up five yellow cards across his 32 LaLiga appearances during the 24/25 season - only Luka Modric (7) and Vinicius Jr (8) picked up more cautions than Tchouameni for Real Madrid during the most recent campaign.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made five crucial saves in PSG’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Bayern Munich, underlining his importance to the team. His performances have mirrored the reliability he showed during PSG’s run to the Champions League final, proving once again why he is one of the world’s top goalkeepers. In the Club World Cup, he has been tested frequently, making 12 saves across five matches, averaging 2.40 stops per 90 minutes.  

Real Madrid’s attacking prowess is likely to push Donnarumma’s save rate even higher in this clash. Their forward line has already proven its ability to test opposition goalkeepers, forcing five saves from Gregor Kobel in their quarter-final win over Dortmund. Earlier in the tournament, they drew 10 saves from Di Gregorio in a hard-fought round of 16 victory against Juventus, demonstrating their relentless threat in front of goal.  

Donnarumma will need to be at his best to keep Madrid’s dangerous attackers at bay. With their ability to create chances and test goalkeepers consistently, Real Madrid are sure to challenge him more than most opponents have in this competition. His performance could be decisive in determining whether PSG can contain one of Europe’s most potent attacks.