Fluminese vs. Chelsea s preview of the Club World Cup semi-finals: One-sided and bloody battle

After more than 20 days of competition, this Club World Cup has come to an end. Fluminese, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will be sent to the United States for the last three games. The first semi-final match between Fluminese and Chelsea turned one-sided like some fans imagined? Or is it ushering in a passionate collision between the two teams? Among the four teams that represent Brazil, Palmeiras' fan base is the most influential. The cheering momentum they created in different competition cities in group stages and during knockouts shocked the Americans. When they entered the stands, they built a green wave with the color of the home team jersey of Palmeiras, which gave their players enough confidence to play. In addition, Botafogo won Paris Saint-Germain and Flamenco won 3-1 against Chelsea, they all showed the Brazilian team's very distinctive football style: good physical conditions and excellent small skills under their feet, and in terms of technical and tactical qualities, they are also catching up with the European trend.

Only in the group stage, Flumenesé, who had no outstanding performance, defeated Inter Milan in the quarterfinals and defeated Riyadh Crescent in the quarterfinals and entered the semi-finals. Moreover, this team plays significantly different from the other three Brazilian teams.

What supports Flumenesé to the semifinals

If you have seen Flumenesé's game, it is indeed difficult to answer what they rely on to reach the semifinals. This team belongs to this Club World Cup with almost no chance to find a team with its own distinctive style. The reason why they entered this Club World Cup was that they won the South American Liberators Cup in 2023, and in the 2024 season, they were on the verge of relegation most of the time. After the 11th round of the 2025 season, he is now only ranked 6th in the Brazil League.

The technical characteristics are not distinctive and there are no outstanding players in the team. After defeating the Riyadh Crescent, the team's head coach Gao Qiao said to the camera: Compared with other top eight teams, we are like an ugly duckling. The reason he said this is that Flumenesé's team has a difficult budget and its limited financial resources cannot support the introduction of outstanding players. But I found an answer in his seemingly self-deprecating words that may support them to enter the top 4: pragmatic.

The team has watched 5 games, and the scene is really ugly. It has neither the beauty of Brazilian players' speed and technical advantages, nor the strong overall technical and tactical qualities. But this team is very pragmatic and knows that there may not be many opportunities created throughout the game, but the success rate of opportunity conversion is very high. This is true for playing Inter Milan and Riyadh Crescent.

The pragmatic attitude towards the game is also the reason why they finally reached the semi-finals. In the locker room before the start of the Riyadh Crescent match, facing opponents with strong financial resources and stronger overall strength than their opponents. Fluminese's captain, Thiago Silva, 40, talked passionately at the pre-match team meeting: I have a brother who passed away, but I didn't see him for the last time, because I thought I would see him again in the future. I want to tell you that there is no future, only the present. Only by fighting our abilities in this game can we not feel regretful for ourselves.

Chelsea welcomed the third Brazilian team

in the second round of the group stage, losing to Flamenco 1:3, creating the biggest upset at the time. The quarter-final victory over Palmeiras was not convinced by Brazil's fans. So Chelsea has not taken much psychological advantage against Brazil's team in the past two games.

Especially in Palmeiras's game, except for maintaining the advantage on the field in the first 20 minutes, Chelsea was almost tied by the opponent for the rest of the time. Brazilian players showed their excellent skills in that game very specific. If it weren't for the bad luck, both sides would at least make it to overtime.

Fluminese's overall strength is much worse than that of Flamengo and Palmeiras, but it does not mean that Chelsea can win firmly. On the contrary, Chelsea may encounter greater difficulties. I have analyzed the pragmatic style of the team Flumenesé in the above article, and more importantly, the courage and resilience they show in the face of the game.

The old captain Thiago Silva is a person who is very good at arousing his teammates' emotions, and is also a person with full combat attributes. In the game against Riyadh, I couldn't even hold on if I got hit so hard that I couldn't finish the game, just to set an example for the young players on the court. If this tough game personality runs through the game against Chelsea, it becomes a game belief that is difficult to destroy.

I am not as good as you in terms of technical and tactics, I am not as good as you in the overall strength of the players, and my financial strength is even more different. But I just let you see what barefoot people are and don’t be afraid of wearing shoes. Moreover, Flumenese played ugly in the game not meant that they were acting recklessly, but that they were calmer in defense and more cautious in counterattacks. So this kind of team must be enough for Chelsea to have a drink.

Personal prediction: Chelsea 2:1 Fluminese, may require an overtime match.