Chelsea are two wins away from claiming the Club World Cup trophy, but first, they must face an old teammate in Thiago Silva before crossing to the final.
Chelsea will reunite with former defender Thiago Silva’s Fluminense in the Club World Cup semi-finals later today. Thiago Silva is a beloved figure at Chelsea, but all pleasantries will be set aside today as both teams battle for a place in the final.
Getting to the semifinals of the Club World Cup isn’t just a huge achievement for both sides; it’s a story of its own. Chelsea have enjoyed a very interesting end to the 2024/25 season, and that purple patch has followed them into the Club World Cup.
After beating Real Betis to win the UEFA Europa Conference League title, they beat Nottingham Forest to make the top four, and now, they have marched their way into the Club World Cup semi-finals, losing only one game in the process. They beat Palmeiras in the quarter-finals by a 2-1 scoreline, putting themselves within touching distance of the trophy.
While Chelsea’s journey is impressive, Fluminense’s path is one for the books. They started out strongly and were unlucky to get a 0-0 draw in their opening game against Dortmund. Since then, Thiago Silva and Fluminense have put their foot on the gas, ramming through all the opponents in their way to reach the semifinals. They beat UCL finalists Inter Milan in the round of 16 and got a remarkable victory over big-money spenders and fellow dark horses Al-Hilal.
Both teams have shown grit, confidence and belief; now, it’s time to take it a step further.
Chelsea vs. Fluminense Team News
Chelsea have suffered a few blows coming into the semifinal as Enzo Maresca confirmed that Liam Delap and Levi Colwill will be unavailable due to yellow card suspensions. Romeo Lavia is also out due to injury.
The good news is that Reece James who was out of the Palmeiras match due to an injury and Moises Caicedo who was suspended will be back in the squad to face Fluminense. Jackson is also available to lead the line in Delap’s absence. João Pedro was also impressive on his debut and could find himself in a starting position as well.
Fluminense also have suspensions to deal with, as centre-back Juan Pablo Freytes and midfielder Martinelli are both ruled out; the latter’s absence might mean promotion for goal-getting sub Hercules.
Chelsea vs. Fluminense Predicted XI
Chelsea Predicted XI: Sanchez; James, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Nkunku; Pedro
Fluminense Predicted XI: Fabio; Ignacio, Silva, Fuentes; Xavier, Hercules, Bernal, Nonato, Rene; Arias, Cano
