The Round of 16 clash in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is shaping up to be a classic, with Inter Miami set to take on Paris Saint-Germain on June 29 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. But this isn\u2019t just any matchup\u2014it marks the first time Lionel Messi will face his former club, PSG, since leaving them in 2023. Emotions will be running high as Inter Miami\u2019s captain takes on the European champions in what promises to be a dramatic, nostalgic, and potentially history-making night.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s cut to the chase: all signs point to Messi starting. The 38-year-old legend had a slight thigh issue in Inter Miami\u2019s 2-1 win over FC Porto, but he played the full game and looked sharp in training before their draw against Palmeiras. Fans on X are hyped, with posts saying Messi\u2019s ready to \u201cstick it to PSG\u201d after his tough time there, where fans even booed him post-2022 World Cup. Inter Miami\u2019s coach, Javier Mascherano\u2014who knows a thing or two about Messi from their Barcelona days\u2014hinted that Leo\u2019s got extra fire for this one. \u201cWhen he\u2019s got a point to prove, he\u2019s unstoppable,\u201d Mascherano said.<\/p>\n
Messi\u2019s been a wizard in the tournament, curling in a jaw-dropping free-kick against Porto (his 50th goal in 61 games for Miami!) and pulling the strings in midfield. Unless something wild happens last minute, expect Messi to lead the charge alongside his buddy Luis Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n
Inter Miami\u2019s been rocking a 4-4-1-1 setup, letting Messi roam free to create magic as a playmaker or wing threat. Their squad mixes veterans like Messi, Su\u00e1rez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba with young guns like Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia, who\u2019ve stepped up big time. Here\u2019s how we think they\u2019ll line up:<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper<\/strong>: Oscar Ustari<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Defenders<\/strong>: Marcelo Weigandt, Tom\u00e1s Avil\u00e9s, Maximiliano Falc\u00f3n, Noah Allen<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Midfielders<\/strong>: Tadeo Allende, Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Forwards<\/strong>: Lionel Messi (C), Luis Su\u00e1rez<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n PSG, led by the tactical mastermind Luis Enrique, are stacked with young stars and proven winners, fresh off their first-ever Champions League title. They\u2019re likely to roll out a 4-3-3, and here\u2019s our best guess at their lineup:<\/p>\n Goalkeeper<\/strong>: Gianluigi Donnarumma<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Defenders<\/strong>: Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Midfielders<\/strong>: Jo\u00e3o Neves, Vitinha, Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Forwards<\/strong>: D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9, Gon\u00e7alo Ramos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This game\u2019s got everything: heart, history, and high stakes. PSG\u2019s got the edge with their young, talented squad and Luis Enrique\u2019s slick system. Their press and possession could tire out Miami\u2019s older stars like Busquets, who might struggle to keep up with Vitinha and Ruiz. But never count out Messi. His free-kick against Porto and his knack for game-changing moments give Miami hope. Plus, with Mascherano, Su\u00e1rez, Busquets, and Alba\u2014veterans of Barcelona\u2019s epic 2017 comeback against PSG\u2014there\u2019s a chance for some d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu magic.<\/p>\n Still, PSG\u2019s defense, led by Marquinhos and Mendes, won\u2019t give Messi much room, and their attack, with Kvaratskhelia\u2019s flair and Ramos\u2019 finishing, could punish Miami\u2019s backline. We\u2019re calling it: PSG 3-1 Inter Miami<\/strong>. Messi might nick a goal or an assist to keep it close, but PSG\u2019s depth should seal it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Round of 16 clash in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is shaping up to be a classic, with\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":36753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2732],"class_list":["post-15630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-fifa-club-world-cup"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}PSG\u2019s Possible Lineup<\/h2>\n
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Our Prediction<\/h2>\n