Fluminense take on the visitors Chelsea in semifinal match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Tuesday, June 8th at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ).
Fluminense have been a mixed bag in recent years—after peaking with their 2023 Copa Libertadores triumph, they slumped to a disappointing 13th place in last year’s Série A. This season, results have been solid across all fronts: in the Copa Sudamericana, in domestic competitions, and especially in the Série A, where they’ve remained competitive. Still, the club isn’t widely perceived as a continental powerhouse. Their Club World Cup campaign, however, has featured one true shock: their 2-0 win over Inter in the first knockout round, where they stunned the Italians with an early goal and never looked back. Before that, Fluminense advanced from a modest group with five points—beating only Ulsan HD and drawing against both Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns. In the quarterfinals, they took down Al Hilal 2-1, proving they can grind out wins even when not dominating the match. They’ve now scored in five straight games and look increasingly confident on the ball.
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Chelsea clearly wouldn’t mind adding another trophy to their cabinet. After a few turbulent years, the “Blues” took a chance on Maresca last summer, and the inexperienced Italian manager led the team to a respectable fourth-place finish in the Premier League. More impressively, fringe players like Mykhailo Mudryk (prior to his suspension) played key roles in their dominant UEFA Conference League title run. In this tournament, Chelsea started strong with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC but then fell apart against Flamengo—losing that match and finishing with ten men after Nicolas Jackson was sent off. In the playoffs, they nearly let a lead slip away against Benfica, who equalized via a penalty after the restart. But Chelsea came alive in extra time, punishing the Portuguese side despite being a man down. Against Palmeiras in the semifinal, they edged a difficult 2-1 win thanks to an 83rd-minute own goal by Kiai, showcasing their late-match composure. Chelsea have now won four of their last five, and despite rotation, continue to show depth and resilience in pressure moments.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Fluminense and Chelsea. Flu will certainly try to play the underdog card to their advantage. But Maresca’s side appear to have more quality and tactical flexibility. The bet is on Chelsea to win in regular time.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win.
