Chelsea - Palmeiras: Arch-rivals

The clash between Chelsea and Palmeiras will open the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup, which promises to be extremely exciting.

The fact that both Chelsea and Palmeiras are missing key players is a notable highlight of this quarter-final match. The team that can overcome this obstacle will have a better chance of winning.

Chelsea won 4-1 against Benfica to qualify, but the price for "The Blues" was quite high. They had to play extra time for 120 minutes, plus the match was extended for nearly 4 hours due to bad weather, so it was not easy for the English team to fully recover.

The biggest loss is that midfielder Moises Caicedo has received enough yellow cards and will have to watch the match against Palmeiras. This Ecuadorian star is truly the soul of Chelsea's play, having recovered the ball the most times in the tournament (20 times), made the most effective tackles (12) and excelled in duels (22).

Without Caicedo, Chelsea's midfield has been weakened. Difficulties await coach Enzo Maresca's team ahead, despite the fact that "The Blues" are still rated higher in many aspects, including stability in performance with 5 wins in the last 7 matches.

Chelsea have a wide open door to the semi-finals and beyond. (Photo: FIFA)

On the other side of the front line, Palmeiras also just went through 120 breathless minutes to eliminate compatriot Botafogo. Physical exhaustion is inevitable, especially when Brazilian clubs have to compete continuously in the domestic league and Copa Libertadores before going to the US. Not only that, Palmeiras also lost troops when captain Gustavo Gomez and left-back Joaquin Piquerez were both absent due to receiving 2 yellow cards, while center-back Murilo is doubtful to play.

The last time the two teams met was in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup final, when Chelsea won 2-1 after extra time. However, Palmeiras are now different, more confident, more solid in defense, and possess many outstanding factors, including Estevao - who will join Chelsea right after this tournament. The 18-year-old star participated in 16 finishing situations (8 shots, creating 8 scoring opportunities) - the most since the beginning of the tournament in the Palmeiras squad.

After the two "big guys" Man City and Inter Milan were eliminated early, Chelsea was rated by the supercomputer system of the statistics company Opta as the top candidate for the championship with a higher chance than both PSG and Real Madrid. The "Blues" draw is quite easy, ensuring the possibility of winning the championship, but first, they need to overcome Palmeiras.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chelsea-palmeiras-ky-phung-dich-thu-19625070321484868.htm