KLIK SAJA - Both teams head into this crucial match after suffering defeats in their opening games.
Atletico Madrid were heavily beaten by Paris Saint-Germain, while Seattle Sounders came up short against Botafogo.
As one of three American clubs participating in this newly-expanded edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, MLS side Seattle failed to capitalize on home advantage, falling to a narrow 2-1 loss against Brazilian outfit Botafogo on Monday.
Having gone two goals down before halftime, a deflected strike by Cristian Roldan with 15 minutes left on the clock gave Seattle a glimmer of hope.
However, their second-half push ultimately fell short as Botafogo held firm to secure all three points.
Head coach Brian Schmetzer refused to fault his players' efforts but admitted that his side lacked sharpness in front of goal, which cost them at least a point. He also acknowledged that "the road ahead isn’t getting any easier."
Seattle now trail the top two teams in Group B by three points and must find a way to win at least one of their remaining matches—against European giants Atletico Madrid and PSG—if they are to keep their slim hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive.
The Sounders have now lost three consecutive matches across all competitions, including back-to-back defeats in MLS.
Thursday’s clash with Atletico poses another significant challenge as they look to avoid a third straight home defeat for the first time since March 2011.
The first all-European clash of the 2025 Club World Cup—between Atletico Madrid and PSG—ended in a lopsided result.
Atletico suffered a nightmare start to their debut campaign, losing 4-0 to the newly-crowned European champions, finishing the match with only 10 men.
Under the scorching Los Angeles sun, Atletico had no response to the pressure exerted by a dominant PSG at the Rose Bowl.
Manager Diego Simeone declined to comment in detail on his team’s performance post-match and instead took a swipe at PSG’s financial power.
Still, all is not lost for Simeone and his squad. Their toughest group-stage fixture—at least on paper—is now behind them, and the focus shifts to what appear to be more favorable matchups against Seattle and Botafogo.