Could fatigue be Flamengo’s downfall against PSG in the Intercontinental Cup final?

Wednesday night under the lights at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium will see PSG take on Flamengo in the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.

Defending Champions League winners PSG will have to be at their very best to overcome the 2024/25 Copa Libertadores and Brasileiro Serie A champions, Flamengo.

This is only the second time the final of FIFA’s newly-formatted club competition has been played – following its incorporation in March 2023 – with Real Madrid beating Pachuca 3-0 in 2024.

A lack of matches could fall into PSG’s hands

The mini-tournament, compared to the stereotypical longer-style competitions inside FIFA’s sphere, hands the winners of the six respective confederations’ major competitions an invitation to a knockout game of football.

Flamengo were made to work for their place in Wednesday’s showpiece spectacle in Saudi Arabia by beating Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals before overcoming Pyramids FC in the semis.

However, PSG were allowed to bypass those aforementioned knockout rounds after automatically qualifying for the final following their Champions League success.

Flamengo’s fatigue could kick off in Saudi Arabia

Could a lack of action on the Intercontinental front be an advantage for the reigning and defending Ligue 1 winners, which is also coupled by an ominous statistic, which isn’t in Flamengo’s favour?

While Luis Enrique’s side have played only 22 matches across all competitions this season, Flamengo have participated in a staggering 77 games before Wednesday.

However, despite taking to the pitch for more than triple the amount of games that PSG have played in, it hasn’t stopped Filipe Luís’s men from winning two pieces of significant silverware this season. Flamengo’s stacked footballing calendar hasn’t stopped the Brazilian ballers from ending up on the losing side only once across all their competitive outings since November.

Giorgian De Arrascaeta the baller the Brazilians need

Additionally, it doesn’t seem to have affected De Arrascaeta’s performances from being unplayable on the pitch in recent times.

The assertive attacking asset​​ has been in sensational form, contributing 32 returns in front of goal (G18, A14) in 33 appearances. PSG will certainly have to be on their best defensive display to keep the Uruguayan from helping his side to at least one goal on Wednesday.

Maybe not all that friendly on the pitch

Despite never meeting on a competitive playing field, PSG and Flamengo have encountered each other in three friendlies over the years. The current record reads one win to France and one to Brazil, with a 1-1 stalemate in their most recent head-to-head encounter in 1991.

With Flamengo unbeaten in seven matches (W5, D2) and losing only one of their previous 13 games (W8, D4), PSG will have to be on top of their game on Wednesday to lift yet another trophy. 

However, it might not be so friendly on the pitch at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, with the winning side receiving £3.72million, while, even the losers will take home just under £3million.

With, PSG having been ordered to pay Kylian Mbappé 60 million euros for outstanding wages still owed to the French striker by the courts. That potential prize purse will surely come in handy to making a potential contribution to paying off the debt.

Although, its not a secret that Les Parisiens are one of the richest clubs in world football, just to make that obvious, but anything won between £3.72-3million will obviously be a small helping hand.

Predicted Starting XI’s in Saudi Arabia

Paris Saint-Germain: Chevalier; Zaïre-Emery, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Doué, Mbaye

Flamengo: Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Pereira, Sandro; Pulgar, Jorginho; Carrascal, de Arrascaeta, Everton; Plata