Paris Saint-Germain ready to face Inter Miami in the first round of the knockout phase

Paris Saint-Germain did not have everything their own way in the group stage of the Club World Cup.

After a 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid on matchday one, PSG were expected to breeze past Botafogo in their second outing of the summer.

Instead, they suffered a 1-0 defeat by Brazilian outfit Botafogo. It was a reminder that, despite their considerable success in recent months, PSG are not invincible.

Luis Enrique’s side returned to winning ways last time out, as a 2-0 triumph over Seattle Sounders saw them go through as the winners of Group B.

In the long run, perhaps the loss to Botafogo will serve PSG well. Luis Enrique will no doubt be telling his players that the defeat proves they should not take anything for granted. PSG should not expect to just turn up and win.

Better to get your off-nights out of the way in the group phase. PSG will now be looking to attack the knockout rounds, starting with this last-16 clash with Inter Miami.

This has been an extraordinarily successful season for PSG, who won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France to become the first French side in history to win that treble.

There is no question that they are keen to add another piece of silverware to their collection this summer. There was some uncertainty as to how seriously the European teams would take this competition, but it is clear from their performances to date that PSG want to go all the way.

Inter Miami are the only MLS team still standing. They got off to a shaky start with a 0-0 draw with Al Ahly, but a 2-1 victory over Porto and a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras saw them through as Group A runners-up.

The pre-match discussions have been dominated by talk of Lionel Messi facing his former club. PSG have now moved on from the galactico era of which Messi was an integral part – and, despite the Argentinian’s genius, they are all the better for it.

Javier Mascherano, for one, is hoping that Messi’s memories of his frustrating spell with PSG work in his team’s favour on Sunday.

“For us, it’s better if Messi plays angry,” the Inter Miami boss told ESPN. “He’s one of those players who, when he has something stuck in his mind, gives a little extra.”

Messi is, in most people’s eyes, the greatest player of all time. But he is also 38 years old and surrounded by team-mates who have either never played at the highest level or are also past their best.

PSG, on the other hand, have a group of players at the peak of their powers. It is hard to see how Inter Miami will be able to stop them.