The first semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup takes place on Tuesday when the Brazilian outfit Fluminense meets the European powerhouse of Chelsea at the MetLife Stadium in New York for a spot in the final.
Fluminense were probably the least fancied runners of the Brazilian teams but they have made their way through to this semi-final to take on a Chelsea side who are looking to add a world crown to the Europa Conference League trophy they won a couple of months ago.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the DAZN app with the extended build-up to the game getting underway at 7pm UK time ahead of the kick off an hour later.
Fluminense
It has almost worked in the favour of Fluminense that they were written off before the tournament began. They were seen as the elder statesmen of the event and that they wouldn’t have the legs to get the job done in these intense conditions but what elder legs bring is experience and knowledge and they have played the matches on their terms, which has allowed them to profit and go through the draw unbeaten so far.
There is certainly a case to be made that Fluminense have ridden their luck at times but to come through a tournament like this you will need to survive a few flaky moments. What I have liked about their play in this competition is that their attacking stuff has improved with every match and if that continues to be the case here then they are entitled to lay down a challenge to Chelsea here. They will need to use all of their experience to come through but they have it in their locker.
Chelsea
Unlike their opponents in this match, Chelsea haven’t progressed to this semi-final without losing a match. In fact, both of the Brazilian sides that they have faced in the tournament have caused them problems. Flamengo beat them in the group stage and it took a late winner for the Blues to come past Palmeiras in the quarter final so they will be hoping that a third Brazilian opposition in the competition are beaten a little easier than that.
There is certainly an argument to be had that Chelsea haven’t looked completely convincing in this tournament. In truth, the only time they have really flourished was in extra time of the last 16 match against Benfica but the Portuguese side were down to 10 men at the time. We can balance that with the fact that Enzo Maresca has regularly rotated his personnel to keep everyone fresh after a long season, but him not seeming to know his best XI might be part of the problem. Chelsea might need their best showing so far to come through here.
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Team News
Fluminense are going to be without a couple of players because of suspension for this semi-final. Martinelli and Juan Pablo Freytes both picked up a second yellow card in the quarter final and will miss out here. Match winner against Al-Hilal, Hercules, is expected to start.
Chelsea are also missing two players for this match because of yellow card accumulation. Levi Colwill and Liam Delap will have to sit this match out but they do have Moises Caicedo back from suspension while Joao Pedro is now firmly in the squad after his recent signing.
Betting
I think Chelsea are worthy favourites for this match given that they have seen off a better Brazilian team in the last round but I’m still in no hurry to put my faith in them at around the 4/6 mark so I’m looking elsewhere for a bet in this one and with the Blues missing their best central defender, there is plenty of reason to think that Fluminense will trouble the Chelsea back line regardless of how the match ends up going in terms of a result.
I expect Chelsea to have more than enough to find the net too, even without Liam Delap. I would expect Joao Pedro to play through the middle and he is capable of bringing the likes of Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer into play and the pace that Chelsea can offer in attack should eventually force its way through. That makes me think that there is value on the odds on against on both teams to score. This bet has landed in both meetings with Brazilian clubs for Chelsea and three of their last four matches and it came in last time out for Fluminense. I like it again here.
Tips
Back Both teams to score for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Spreadex
