Chelsea and Fluminense clash in FIFA Club World Cup semifinal

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Who: Chelsea vs Fluminense
What: Semifinal, FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Where: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States
When: Tuesday, July 8 at 3pm local time (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from noon (16:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Chelsea will be hoping to seal their spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) final with victory against Brazil's Fluminense in the opening semifinal on Tuesday.
The Blues are striving to become the first side to win the CWC for a second time but face a formidable task against the Rio de Janeiro giants, who are unbeaten in the tournament.
Here is all to know before their semifinal showdown at MetLife Stadium, just outside New York:
How did Chelsea reach the semifinals?
Chelsea finished second in Group D to another Brazilian super club, Flamengo.
The London-based club opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC, before stumbling to a tough 3-1 loss against Flamengo. They qualified for the knockout stage with a 3-0 defeat of Esperance de Tunisie.
Enzo Maresca's side faced the Group C winners Benfica in the last 16, beating the Portuguese side 4-1 after extra time.
The Blues then played a second Brazilian club in the quarterfinals, beating Palmeiras 2-1 to qualify for the final four.
How did Fluminense reach the semifinals?
Fluminense, who qualified for the CWC as winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores, were unbeaten in Group F, finishing second behind Borussia Dortmund with one win and two draws.
They played out a 0-0 scoreline with Dortmund in their tournament opener, then defeated South Korean side Ulsan HD 4-2. In their final group fixture, they played out 0-0 against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
In the knockout phase, Fluminense upset Inter Milan 2-0 in Charlotte, then ended the fairytale run of Saudi club Al Hilal in the quarterfinal, winning 2-1 and booking their place in Tuesday's semifinal.
Did Fluminense captain Thiago Silva play for Chelsea?
The inspirational 40-year-old, regarded by many as one of the greatest defenders of all time, is the former skipper of Chelsea, having played more than 150 matches for the English club from 2020 until 2024.
Silva was a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and won three trophies during his time with Chelsea, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Silva is expected to be in the starting XI against his old club.
Head-to-head
This will be the first competitive meeting between Fluminense and Chelsea.
When did Chelsea win the FIFA Club World Cup?
Chelsea won the 18th edition of the CWC in 2021, hosted in the United Arab Emirates.
The Blues won the final 2-1 against Palmeiras at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The tournament was originally planned to take place in late 2021 in Japan, but was moved to February 2022 in the UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is this the first CWC appearance for Fluminense?
Fluminense made their Club World Cup debut at the 2023 tournament in Saudi Arabia, making it all the way to the final in Jeddah where they lost to Manchester City 4-0.
Team news: Chelsea
Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill and Liam Delap after both received their second yellow cards of the tournament against Palmeiras in the quarterfinal.
Moises Caicedo will rejoin the Blues squad after serving his suspension.
On the injury front, Romeo Lavia and Reece James were both held back against Palmeiras and are questionable heading into Tuesday's match. Omari Kellyman is unavailable for selection.
Team news: Fluminense
Fluminense will be without Juan Pablo Freytes and Mathues Martinelli – who scored the game-winner against Al Hilal in the quarterfinal – after both received their second yellow cards of the tournament in their last-eight final against the Saudi club.
Key defender Rene returns to the club from suspension and is expected to reclaim his place in the starting XI at the expense of Gabriel Fuentes, whom coach Renato Gaucho might redeploy in an attacking midfield role against Chelsea.
Talisman Jhon Arias should again lead Fluminense's forward line.
Central midfielder Otavio was a pretournament scratching after suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in May.
Possible lineups:
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Nkunku; Pedro
Fluminense: Fabio; Ignacio, Silva, Rene; Xavier, Hercules, Bernal, Nonato, Fuentes; Arias, Cano
What the coaches had to say
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said: 'I watched some games that they [Fluminense] have played. And you can see that they are very well-organised. They have some very good players. The manager [Gaucho] is doing a fantastic job.'
'And again, it will be the same [in the semi] final. The energy from the Brazilian team in this competition has been high … Probably … because you are starting now the season, while we are finishing the season. So, the energy is normal. It is different. And we try to deal with that in a different way.'
Renato Gaucho, who has helped Fluminense defy the odds to knock out Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16 and Al Hilal in the quarterfinals, spoke after his side qualified for the semifinal against Chelsea.
'It is another step forward, thanks to everyone's efforts. Participating in the Club World Cup is a unique opportunity … We do not know when we will have the chance to participate again. I dedicate this qualification [victory over Al Hilal] to our fans, and I imagine the wonderful atmosphere in Rio de Janeiro, just as it was wonderful here in the stadium, it was a deserved victory.'