Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Club World Cup clash between Palmeiras and Chelsea, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.Palmeiras and Chelsea will go head-to-head in Friday’s second Club World Cup quarter-final clash in Philadelphia.This is a repeat of the 2022 CWC final, when Chelsea were victorious over their Brazilian opponents after extra time, claiming their first title in the process.Match previewIt is almost all change in both camps since that meeting three years ago, but despite having a new manager, and almost an entirely different squad, Chelsea will be hoping to repeat that success.Kai Havertz netted the 117th-minute penalty that sealed a 2-1 win for Chelsea in the final in 2022, but nobody who started that day is still at the club.Nevertheless, the Blues remain one of the favourites for the competition, especially after fighting against some adversity to get past Benfica in the last 16.Despite finishing second in their group, due to their defeat against Flamengo, Chelsea were placed on a much more favourable side of the draw, after sealing progression with a 3-0 win over Esperance de Tunis.Enzo Maresca’s men looked all set for the quarter-finals when they led 1-0 with five minutes to go against Benfica, but a lengthy weather delay caused great disruption, and once returning to the field, the Portuguese giants forced extra time with a very late penalty.However, an early extra-time red card for Gianluca Prestianni gave Chelsea a huge advantage for the rest of the additional period, and they took advantage, as Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all scored to seal a 4-1 win.After winning the Conference League in their final game before the Club World Cup, Maresca’s men will now be hoping to make it a cup double, and they are one of the strongest European sides remaining, after a few shocks in the last 16.Manchester City and Inter Milan’s surprise exits have opened their side of the draw up, because a win here will set Chelsea up with a semi-final affair against either Fluminense or Al-Hilal.This will be far from straightforward though, because Palmeiras are yet to lose at the Club World Cup, and saw Copa Libertadores and Brazilian champions Botafogo off in the last 16.Manager Abel Ferreira was in charge when Chelsea beat them in the 2022 final, so he will be keen to exact revenge, even if the majority of their squad has changed since then.European opponents have been rare for Palmeiras at this tournament, because an opening day draw with Porto is the only experience they have had so far.Since then, the Brazilian giants have beaten Al Ahly, drew with Inter Miami, and edged past Botafogo after extra time, but they will not be fearful of their upcoming opponents, given the form they have brought, and continued, into this tournament, as they are well in the title race at home.Palmeiras form (all competitions):Chelsea form (all competitions):Team NewsPalmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian will get his first taste of life at Chelsea should he face off against them here, before joining the Blues at the conclusion of the competition.Estevao is one of a number of fresh faces in the Brazilian side’s XI compared to 2022, with Weverton set to be the only surviving member of that team that were beaten by Chelsea three years ago.Gustavo Gomez and Joaquin Piquerez both featured in 2022, but will be suspended here, while Marcos Rocha and Raphael Veiga are unlikely to start, after dropping down the pecking order in recent years.Chelsea will remain without Nicolas Jackson due to suspension, but they have added another attacker, with Joao Pedro linking up with the squad Stateside following his move from Brighton & Hove Albion, but Liam Delap is set to keep his place in the XI.Wesley Fofana is the only first-team player currently out injured, with fellow defender Reece James hoping to stay fit for the rest of competition, after missing out on the 2022 success with a setback.Pedro Neto is the man in form at present, having scored in all three appearances at the finals, and his contributions have been vital, especially with Cole Palmer’s form dipping slightlyPalmeiras possible starting lineup:Weverton; Mayke, Giay, Bruno Fuchs, Vanderlan; Rios, Martinez, Mauricio; Allan, Vitor Roque, EstevaoChelsea possible starting lineup:Sanchez; James, Colwill, Badiashile, Cucurella; Enzo, Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Delap, PalmerWe say: Palmeiras 1-2 Chelsea While many European clubs have fallen by the wayside, Chelsea have powered on through, and did not allow a defeat to Flamengo affect their morale, and with the squad at their disposal, they should have enough to book their place in the semi-finals, especially if it goes the distance.Palmeiras are yet to lose at the tournament, and they will certainly give Chelsea a tough test, but facing such an expensively-assembled squad may just be too much for a side working on a shoestring in comparisonFor data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here. ID:576632:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9924: No Data Analysis infoPreviews by emailClick here to get Sports Mole’s daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!
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