A severe blow to Paris in the Club World Cup

Paris Saint-Germain has suffered a major blow ahead of its highly anticipated Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid, scheduled for Wednesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee has suspended defenders Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez for two matches after they received straight red cards during the quarter-final win over Bayern Munich for violent tackles on Leon Goretzka and Raphael Guerreiro. The two players will miss the rest of the team's matches in the tournament, both in the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final, should the team qualify. According to the French newspaper GFFN, the Paris Saint-Germain management is considering filing an official appeal against the punishment, hoping to reduce it or temporarily suspend its implementation to limit the technical damage before the decisive match. Saint-Germain enters the tournament at the peak of its form this season under Spanish coach Luis Enrique, having won every possible domestic title. Their 47th win of the season against Bayern Munich, equaling the club's best record since the 2015-2016 season, is the same as the 2015-2016 season.