Chelsea pragmatically passed the Arab Al-Hilal. Yet in the final, the Blues will face much more serious resistance in the face of the Brazilian Palmeiras. Will Chelsea be able to take it out in “class”, or will the Brazilians put the European giants to shame?
Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi).
Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)
Chelsea: James, Chilwell, Mendy, Loftus-Cheek, Mount (doubtful).
Palmeiras: none.
Chelsea beat Al-Hilal 1-0 in the semi-final. The game was equal and Leonardo Jardim managed to impose a fight on the London club. Yet, the conqueror of the dwarf teams, Romelu Lukaku, pulled his club into the final. Here he is awaits for a more serious opponent. Let’s not forget how well the London club spent January. They passed two stages in the FA Cup, reached the League Cup final, and escaped defeat in the match with Liverpool; yet, lost to Man City (0:1).
Brazilian Palmeiras began their journey from the semi-final, where they defeated the Egyptian Al-Ahly (2:0), even though the Egyptians hit more (12 vs.14 shots towards the goal, 4 vs. 5 shots on target), and had the ball more often (42% vs. 58%). However, in last year’s tournament, Palmeiras lost to this team in the match for third place. Brazil is currently hosting the Paulista League. And there the Brazilian club has never lost after four rounds, winning three times and losing once. It seems that Palmeiras has taken a step forward compared to last year.
We expect a tense finale with lots of caution. Overall, the first half will end in a draw. Further on, no goals to see in both halves, as the game will go to the first error. In conclusion, we believe that Hakim Ziyech, who can spin beautiful balls at important moments, is most likely to excel in the Blues. Romelu Lukaku will definitely be confused in the final game, as is typical for him.