European champions Chelsea take on Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras in the FIFA Club World Cup 2022 final on Saturday, February 12 at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. The match will kick off at 10:00 PM IST.
Chelsea and Palmeiras’ late entry in the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup edition comes on the back of byes the UEFA as well as CONMEBOL teams receive in the tournament. As per the rules, teams from these two confederations get direct entry to the semi-finals.
The Blues, who defeated Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League 2020-21 final, took on Al Hilal, a Saudi football club, in the final four. Striker Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal as Chelsea registered a narrow 1-0 win.
Palmeiras, on the other hand, got the better of Egyptian side Al Ahly SC with goals from Raphael Veiga and Dudu guiding the Brazilian team to a 2-0 win.
Historically, teams from Europe have dominated the FIFA Club World Cup. In fact, Corinthians’ 1-0 win over Chelsea in 2012 was the last time a team from outside of Europe lifted the title. Since then, Real Madrid have won the trophy four times followed by Bayern Munich (two), Barcelona and Liverpool (one each).
Meanwhile, Chelse have travelled with a full-fledged squad for their final match against Palmeiras. This includes the recently crowned AFCON champion Edouard Mendy and on-loan midfielder Saul Niguez. Unfortunately for the Blues though, manager Thomas Tuchel won’t be present after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the team’s departure.
It’s going to be Chelsea's second appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup final and the Blues will be aiming to come out on top at the second time of asking.
Chelsea vs Palmeiras FIFA Club World Cup final squads
Chelsea squad:
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr
Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Saul Niguez, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Kenedy, Kai Havertz
Palmeiras squad:
Goalkeepers: Weverton, Marcelo Lomba, Vinicius
Defenders: Jorge, Marcos Rocha, Mayke, Vanderlan, Gustavo Gomez, Luan, Kuscevic, Renan, Murilo
Midfielders: Gustavo Scarpa, Zé Rafael, Gabriel Menino, Danilo, Patrick de Paula, Raphael Veiga, Atuesta, Jailson
Forwards: Breno Lopes, Dudu, Rony, Deyverson, Rafael Navarro, Wesley, Giovani
Where to watch Chelsea vs Palmeiras FIFA Club World Cup final?
The live streaming of Chelsea vs Palmeiras in the FIFA Club World Cup final in India will be available on the Voot select app as well as JioTV.
Featured photo: AFP / Giuseppe Cacace
