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Pre-match review
PSG marched to the US with utmost confidence, after a sublime season with a treble including Ligue 1, French Cup and especially Champions League.
Coach Luis Enrique's team continued to show their destructive power when crushing Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup.
First-half goals from Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha gave PSG an early advantage, before substitutes Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in completed a thumping 4-0 win.
The match against Botafogo is also historic as PSG will become the first French club to play an official match against a non-European team. If they continue to win 3 points, PSG will almost certainly win the ticket to the next round as the top team.
Meanwhile, Botafogo entered the tournament as the defending champions of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, after defeating Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final.
However, the recent 0-3 defeat to Pachuca at the Intercontinental Cup made fans question the stability of the Brazilian team.
At the FIFA Club World Cup, coach Renato Paiva and his team started with a 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders. However, Botafogo's squad is seriously depleted.
The successive departures of Artur Jorge, key players Luiz Henrique, Thiago Almada and soon to be main striker Igor Jesus put the Brazilian representative at a great disadvantage when facing a PSG team that is reaching maturity in both form and squad depth.
Form, head-to-head history
PSG are on a roll with three consecutive wins, keeping a clean sheet and scoring 12 goals - proof that their thirst for conquest has not diminished after the historic treble.
On the other side, Botafogo also maintained stable form with 4 consecutive wins, increasing their unbeaten streak to 9 out of the last 12 matches.
Force information
PSG will welcome back French striker Bradley Barcola after a knee injury, while Ousmane Dembele, one of the strong candidates for the Ballon d'Or, is still training separately and is almost certainly absent.
On the other side, Botafogo are likely to play more cautiously than they did against Seattle. Striker Gonzalo Mastriani could be forced to make way if Cuiabano recovers in time. New signings Arthur Cabral and Joaquin Correa are ready to play.
Matheus Martins and Jeffinho are out injured. The biggest hope is still Igor Jesus, who is about to join Nottingham Forest.
PSG (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Ramos, Doue.
Botafogo (4-2-3-1): John; Vitinho, Cunha, Barboza, Telles; Gregore, Freitas; Artur, Savarino, Cuiabano; Jesus.
Score prediction: PSG 3-1 Botafogo
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Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhan-dinh-bong-da-psg-vs-botafogo-08h00-ngay-206-cuoc-thu-hung-giua-hai-nha-vua-chau-luc-post1752820.tpo
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