FIFA Club World Cup: Fluminense vs Chelsea – Maresca’s men to make it the tournament’s first final?

Fluminense state of play 

Fluminense are unbeaten in the FIFA Club World Cup and have a former Chelsea captain organising their defence. Thiago Silva, who won the Champions League during his time in SW6, is now captain of his boyhood club after leaving Chelsea last summer.

The 40-year-old has proved he’s still got it at the top level as he’s helped them to wins over Inter and Al-Hilal, the side that beat Man City in the last 16, to reach the last four. 

Before that victory over Al-Hilal, Fluminense manager Renato Portaluppi kept saying ‘Football is decided on the pitch, not via a bank balance.’ The club from Rio de Janeiro might feel like they’re underdogs but with thousands of fans in attendance in New York, they’ll feel confident of reaching the final. 

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Chelsea state of play

The last Premier League team left in the competition will be desperate to make it to the tournament’s first final. This is the third time Chelsea will face Brazilian opposition in this tournament, having won one and lost one. Enzo Maresca’s side booked their place in the final four by beating Palmeiras 2-1, thanks to a 83rd minute own goal from Agustin Giay. A match that featured in our weekly acca tips guide.

Joao Pedro, who was recently a £60m signing from Brighton & Hove Albion, could make his first start for his new club. The Brazilian could come in for another summer signing Liam Delap, who is suspended for the match alongside Levi Colwill. Another ex-Brighton player, Moises Caicedo, is expected to return to the starting XI after serving a suspension in the quarter-final. 

Key talking point: Chelsea to make the final?  

Chelsea fans might have felt uninspired about the tournament before it started but now they’re one game away from the final, they’ll be desperate to win. The Blues will be full of confidence that their star-studded squad has enough quality to beat a team that will try to frustrate them in defence before hitting them on the counter-attack.

They’ve been on the ‘favourable’ side of the draw, and now have one more game to prove that and make sure they’re one game away from being called Club World Cup champions for the next four years. 

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FIRST’s top tip for Fluminense vs Chelsea

Chelsea to win in extra-time 15/2 (Coral).

We expect this to be a tight and cagey affair with Fluminense already proving they’re very difficult to beat. They did keep clean sheets against both Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan. They’ll be very determined to make it to the final at the expense of a Chelsea team that have been hit and miss so far.

However, the strength in depth that Maresca’s has at his disposal might make all the difference and we’re backing them to eventually progress, even if they’ll need extra-time to achieve that. 

Fluminense vs Chelsea predicted line-ups:  

Flumiense: Fabio; Ignacio, Silva, Fuentes; Xavier, Hercules, Bernal, Nonato, Rene; Arias, Cano

Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Nkunku; Pedro

Form-guide (all competitions)

You can find a detailed analysis of Chelsea's 2024/25 statistics in our full guide, but here's a quick overview of both team's form. 

Fluminense: WWDWDWWWWD

Chelsea: WWWLWWWWLW

Odds correct at time of writing. 

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