One of the most fascinating matchups of the Club World Cup group stages takes place in Philadelphia on Friday as Flamengo and Chelsea meet in what could be a battle for top spot in Group D. Conference League winners Chelsea began the competition in perfunctory fashion in front of a subdued Atlanta crowd, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez netting either side of half time for a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC that will hardly live long in anyone’s memories.
Later that day, Flamengo were similarly effective against Esperance de Tunis, though Giorgian de Arrascaeta justified his billing as one to watch at this tournament with his side’s first goal. There will be great expectations of Flamengo in this tournament, the Rio de Janeiro side having invested heavily in their squad over recent years, adding veterans Jorginho and Danilo with an eye on their trip to the USA.
After all this competition is one that the three-time Copa Libertadores champions have not won since 1981, when it went under the name of the Intercontinental Cup. In the years since, Sao Paulo, Internacional and Corinthians have all lifted a trophy that carries plenty of significance in Brazil. Flamengo would dearly love to bring the Club World Cup back to Brazil … or at least make a big impact on this competition.
Viewing information
- Date: Friday, June 20 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, PA
- Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
- Odds: Flamengo +300; Draw +250; Chelsea -118
Last meeting
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams.
Predicted lineups
Flamengo: Agustin Rosso; Guillermo Varela, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira, Ayrton; Erick Pulgar, Jorginho; Gerson, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Luiz Araujo; Pedro
Chelsea: Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Tosin Adarbioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke; Nicolas Jackson
Player to watch
Jorginho, Flamengo: Reunited with his former club, Jorginho has not had long to settle into life at Flamengo following the cancellation of his contract at Arsenal. His debut went rather encouragingly, however, with the 33-year-old completing 92 of 99 passes, providing the assist for Luiz Araujo to net the second against Esperance de Tunis. Chelsea fans (and those few teammates of his who are still at the club) are sure to offer him a warm reception, but if Jorginho is at his best, he could give Fernandez and Caicedo plenty of trouble.
Prediction
Expect Flamengo to put Chelsea through the ringer in this one, but with the likes of Liam Delap and potentially Christopher Nknuku off the bench, the Blues might nick this late on. Pick: Flamengo 1, Chelsea 2
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