The first semi-final match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be held between Brazilian Série A team Fluminense and English Premier League team Chelsea as they face off in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 8th July at 20:00 GMT.
Both teams advanced to this tie after securing 2-1 wins in their respective quarter-finals. Fluminense remains unbeaten in the tournament, while Chelsea suffered their only loss against Brazilian side CR Flamengo on June 20th, going down to a 3-1 defeat.
Former Chelsea captain Thiago Silva, who now captains Fluminense, will face his former Chelsea teammates. Talking about the encounter, the defender said: “I am very happy and very proud of my team. It is not easy to play in this competition and arrive at the semi-final. “It’s too far for me to imagine this moment, but I am very happy for the team and for myself as well and for the performance.” He continues: “We stayed together all the time. It’s never easy to play against a team like this, but Fluminense is there, and I am very happy for this.”
Team News
Chelsea enters their semi-final match as the clear favourites, despite the absence of centre-forward Liam Delap and defender Levi Colwill, both of whom received yellow cards in the match against Palmeiras, resulting in their suspension for this last-four clash. Midfielder Moisés Caicedo is set to return from his suspension, and new acquisition João Pedro, who made his debut in Philadelphia as a substitute just three days after finalising a transfer from Brighton valued at an initial £50 million, could take Delap’s place in attack.
Speaking after his team’s victory against Al Hilal, Fluminense manager Renato Portaluppi said: “We are the ugly duckling when it comes to finances, but on the pitch, it’s 11 against 11. Our opponent wants it, but we want it even more. We’ll fly to New York to play the semi-final, and it’s well deserved.” It seems this sentiment will be carried over against the riches of Chelsea, as they have signed six players in excess of £120 million in the past month alone, whereas the entire Fluminense squad is valued at £74 million, according to our football facts data.
Fluminense FIFA Club World Cup form:
- Borussia Dortmund: 0-0 (D) 17/06/2025
- Ulsan HD: 4-2 (W) 21/06/2025
- Mamelodi Sundowns: 0-0 (D) 25/06/2025
- Inter Milan: 2-0 (W) 30/06/2025
- Al Hilal: 2-1 (W) 04/07/2025
Chelsea FC FIFA Club World Cup form:
- LAFC: 2-0 (W) 16/06/2025
- CR Flamengo: 1-3 (L) 20/06/2025
- Espérance Sportive de Tunis: 3-0 (W) 25/06/2025
- SL Benfica: 4-1 (W) 28/06/2025
- Palmeiras: 2-1 (W) 05/07/2025
Predicted Line-ups
- Fluminense (5-3-2): Fabio; Xavier, Thiago Silva, Ignacio, Thiago Santos, Fuentes; Bernal, Hercules, Nonato; Cano, Arias
- Chelsea FC (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Gusto; Fernandez, Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Palmer, Nkunku; João Pedro
Match Prediction
We predict Fluminense to beat Chelsea 2-1, with a scriptwriter’s dream winning goal for the Brazilian side coming from former Chelsea player Thiago Silva, who is turning 41 years old in September.
