Chelsea will have the opportunity to grab the only trophy that has eluded them when they face-off with Palmeiras in Saturday's FIFA Club World Cup Final. The right to be called world champions will take place inside the Mohammehed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi with both sides gunning for their first-ever win of such title. For the Blues, it will be their second-ever appearance in the final - 10 months away from a decade after the first which ended in a disappointing defeat to Corinthians.
Needless to say, they may well be unfazed by the threat they currently face as they have proved to be overachievers under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel. Under the German, the London club has been fired to the finals of the FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Carabao Cup, as well as the intercontinental competition in question.
Chelsea's right to participate in the final was earned following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Al-Hilal Saudi, with Romelu Lukaku's only strike being the difference maker in Wednesday's encounter. The win extended their unbeaten streak across all competitions to three and they will hope to build on the run in the quest to complete the set. Just as it was the case in mid-week, Thomas Tuchel will not be on the touchline due to a positive COVID-19 test. However, the German will trust the expertise of his technical team led by assistant manager Zsolt Low to deliver the goods.
For Palmeiras, it is an opportune time for them to stamp-in their dominance in yet another high-profile competition. It is a revenge mission; one that will see them grind for a favorable outcome after being dumped out of last year's tournament in the semi-final. Being a second-time lucky after an initial set-back is a familiar feeling to the side in green and white as they were inspired to become the first side to retain the Copa Libertadores trophy since 2001. They achieved the feat with a 2-1 win over Flamengo in a thrilling final last season.
The form of Abel Ferreira's side also deserves plaudit as they go into Saturday's encounter unbeaten in their last 10 outings. At the Club World Cup, they have been impressive as well, defeating Al Ahly 2-0 to set up the upcoming final with Chelsea. The onus now remains on the 10-time Brazilian champions to potentially end their country's 10-year wait for a Club World Cup victory and take the trophy back to South America.
Key stats
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Since the Club World Cup was changed to the current format in 2005, 12 of the 17 finals have been contested between the European and South American representatives. This is the fifth occasion a Premier League side has competed in the Club World Cup final (two wins, two defeats so far).
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Palmeiras are looking to become South America's fourth Club World Cup champions. They have won more trophies than any other Brazilian club and have won a record 10 Serie A league championships.
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Chelsea could join Manchester United and Bayern Munich as the only clubs to achieve a clean sweep of major UEFA trophies (European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League, Cup winners' Cup and Super Cup) as well as FIFA Club World Cup.
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Cesar Azpilicueta is our only survivor from the last time we qualified for the Club World Cup. Although Romelu Lukaku was a Chelsea player, he was on a season-long loan at the time at West Brom.
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Brazil has now produced more finalists than any other country in Club World Cup history (nine).
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Since 2005, the UEFA Champions League winners have made it to the final of the Club World Cup on all 17 occasions.
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Palmeiras are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions (seven wins) since their last defeat in November.
Predicted starting XI
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Chelsea: Kepa; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech
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Palmeiras: Weverton; Rocha, Gomez, Luan, Piquerez; Danilo, Rafael; Dudu, Veiga, Scarpa; Rony.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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