Seeking to build on victories from matchday one of the Club World Cup, Chelsea and Flamengo will be facing off in Philadelphia this Friday. The two have taken the leading spots in Group D ahead of their first-ever meeting. Let’s have a look at the match preview and a prediction.
Flamengo went on a dominant display against one of Africa’s representatives, Esperance, winning 2-0. It wasn’t a game they were expected to struggle in, but they come into this one as heavy underdogs.
In this clash, Chelsea will meet two of their former men. They'll be up against Jorginho, whose debut yielded an assist in the 2-0 win, and manager Luis Felipe is their former defender.
As for Chelsea, apart from the lamentations at an almost empty stadium, things on the pitch went just fine. They returned to the global stage with a 2-0 win over MLS side Los Angeles FC.
Chelsea are slowly coming out of the blues after a difficult period of two years in transition. They are set to return to the Champions League and added the Conference League to their collection of titles.
Now they are angling for another Club World Cup gong after their 2021 triumph. With nine wins in their last 10 matches now, the Blues will arrive here a very confident unit. They only lost to Newcastle United in that 10-game period.
Flamengo lost once to an English club before (Liverpool) in the 2019 Club World Cup final. This marks their third appearance, and they will want to stick out their chests against Chelsea. The win in the opening Group D will be a good catalyst, but the Brazilians hereby face a side with pedigree at this level.
Flamengo have seven wins in their last 10 matches, a run slightly bettered by Chelsea, who have nine in 10. We expect a tight game from these sides, which could lead to low scores. Our prediction for Flamengo v Chelsea is for Chelsea to win and under 2.5 goals.