Both teams had to negotiate a period of extra time in their respective Round of 16 fixtures, whilst Chelsea were forced to wait out a considerable weather delay before putting fellow UEFA representatives benfica to the sword. In an all-Brazilian clash at the Lincoln Financial Field, Palmeiras narrowly edged reigning Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo thanks to Paulinho’s phenomenal solo goal.
The Alviverde return to Philadelphia to face an in-form Chelsea side, who have performed impressively in the States, bar a chaotic six-minute period against Flamengo. Much like their triumphant display in May’s Conference League final, the Blues registered three late goals on Saturday evening to overcome their opponents by a 4-1 scoreline.
The winner of this tie will face either Fluminense – the other remaining Brazilian side in the competition following Flamengo’s elimination – or Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal, who face each other at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on Friday afternoon. Should they progress to the next stage, Chelsea will head to the impressive MetLife Stadium next Tuesday to contest the tournament’s first semi-final.
UK viewers will need to set their alarm clocks for this one, with kick-off scheduled for the early hours of Saturday morning. Live coverage of the match will be available on DAZN, FIFA’s official broadcasting partner for the Club World Cup.
_______________________________________________
Sponsored:
FIFA Club World Cup - Every Game Free, exclusively on DAZN.
Sign up here to start streaming.
_______________________________________________
Palmeiras v Chelsea – Key Information
Date: Saturday 5th July
Kick-off time: 2.00am (BST)
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia (PA)
Referee: Francois Letexier (Assistant Referees: Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni, Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg)
VAR: Jerome Brisard (Assistant VAR Official: Bram van Driessche)
TV channel/Live stream: DAZN
Odds: Palmeiras – 14/5, Draw – 12/5, Chelsea – 21/20
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Palmeiras v Chelsea – Team News
While Palmeiras are currently midway through their domestic campaign, Chelsea are having to navigate the final hurdle of another fixture-congested season. Player fatigue will undoubtedly be a pressing concern for Enzo Maresca, who vociferously criticised FIFA’s decision to stage a tournament in locations prone to periodic thunderstorms during a recent press conference.
Nevertheless, Palmeiras boss Abel Ferreira will be acutely aware of the toll last Saturday’s Round of 16 encounter took on his players, and therefore may also look to shuffle the pack. The Portuguese tactician has been eager to exploit the full strength of his squad throughout the tournament; four of Palmeiras’ five goals have been scored by substitutes.
Palmeiras team news
Abel Ferreira has several defensive headaches heading into Saturday’s tie, with three of his first-choice back four unavailable for selection.
Having received his second yellow card in the dying embers of Palmeiras' extra-time triumph over Botafogo, captain Gustavo Gómez was issued an automatic suspension for the quarter-final. Uruguayan international full-back Joaquín Piquerez also incurred a one-match ban, after picking up his second booking of the tournament in the same match last weekend. As a result, right-back Agustín Giay may have to deputise as a makeshift centre-half, while Vanderlan provides a like-for-like alternative to the temporarily absent Piquerez.
After sustaining a thigh injury in the opening stages of Palmeiras’ final group stage fixture, Murilo is set to miss the remainder of the tournament. The Brazilian hobbled off in the immediate aftermath of Inter Miami’s first goal, with Bruno Fuchs replacing him in central defence.
It’s likely Paulinho will once again be deployed as an impact substitute, after netting in the Alviverde’s last two fixtures following his introduction from the bench. The highly-rated winger will undergo further surgery to treat a stress fracture of his tibia in the coming weeks, having already gone under the knife in December. Therefore, Ferreira has understandably decided to limit Paulinho’s involvement throughout the Club World Cup.
Although he’ll become a Chelsea player ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, Estêvão is eligible to face his new employers. Considered to be one of South America’s hottest prospects, the talented teenager has registered four goals in just five Copa Libertadores appearances this term.
Raphael Veiga and Facundo Torres could slot into two of the three remaining attacking roles, having been demoted to the bench for the Round of 16 clash. Both players featured in the starting line-up against Al Ahly and Inter Miami after missing the meeting with Portuguese giants Porto in New Jersey, with Ferreira keen to experiment with several combinations in this area of the pitch. Former Real Betis striker Vitor Roque, who has failed to find the net in any of Palmeiras’ opening four fixtures, will once again lead the line.
Palmeiras predicted line-up vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Abel Ferreira
Weverton (GK), Marcos Rocha, Agustín Giay, Bruno Fuchs, Vanderlan, Richard Ríos, Emiliano Martínez, Estêvão, Raphael
Veiga, Facundo Torres, Vitor Roque
Chelsea team news
In similarity to his managerial opponent, Enzo Maresca also wrestles with the impact of his team’s disciplinary record.
Influential midfielder Moisés Caicedo will be absent through suspension, having been cautioned during the dramatic victory over Benfica and the Blues' sobering loss to Flamengo. The Ecuadorian international found himself in the referee’s notebook on eleven occasions during the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with only three players accruing more yellow cards in the English top-flight.
One of those offenders was new recruit Liam Delap, who will be hopeful of making his fourth consecutive start following an impressive cameo from the bench. After setting up Enzo Fernández to double the West Londoners’ lead over Los Angeles FC on his debut, the English youngster fired past Espérance Tunis 'keeper Bechir Ben Said to open his Chelsea account. Delap’s extended run in the team comes at the expense of the suspended Nicolas Jackson, who was issued a straight red card for a rash tackle on Flamengo defender Lucas Ayrton a fortnight ago. Although the Senegalese marksman has now served his punishment, it’s likely Delap will get the nod.
Maresca contends with just one fresh injury concern, after watching Benoît Badiashile labour during the latter stages of regulation time against Benfica. The nature of his ailment is yet to be revealed, but the imposing Frenchman has since been spotted on crutches. Consequently, Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill are expected to assume the two central defensive positions on Saturday.
Chelsea predicted line-up vs. Palmeiras (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Enzo Maresca
Robert Sánchez (GK), Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Roméo Lavia, Enzo Fernández, Pedro
Neto, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Liam Delap
Where to watch on TV
Every single fixture of this summer’s newly revamped Club World Cup is live on DAZN, with coverage of Chelsea's quarter-final meeting with Palmeiras commencing at 1.00am (BST) on Saturday morning. All matches are free to watch, but viewers must sign up for a DAZN account in order to access this content. To do this, simply click the link and follow the on-screen instructions.
Selected Club World Cup clashes are also being screened on terrestrial TV, after Channel 5 agreed a sub-licensing deal with DAZN ahead of the tournament. However, this tie will not be available on this channel.
Form Guide and Head-to-Head record
Before dispatching Série A rivals Botafogo at the last sixteen stage, Abel Ferreira’s men secured five points from three challenging group stage games. After battling to a goalless draw with Porto, the four-time Copa do Brasil champions comfortably overcame Egyptian outfit Al Ahly on matchday two. Late goals from Paulinho and Maurício ensured Palmeiras acquired a crucial point against Inter Miami, subsequently preventing the Floridians from overtaking them at the summit of Group A.
After sweeping aside Group D whipping boys LAFC, Chelsea were left shellshocked following Flamengo’s miraculous second-half comeback in Pennsylvania. However, the Blues quickly recovered from this fairly significant blip to comfortably defeat Espérance Tunis, before breaking Benfica hearts amidst treacherous conditions at the Bank of America Stadium.
These two sides have met on just one previous occasion, ironically facing each other in the final of the 2021 Club World Cup. Romelu Lukaku broke the deadlock at Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, before current Palmeiras playmaker Raphael Veiga scored from the spot midway through the second half to take the contest to extra time. Chelsea were then awarded a penalty of their own with just several minutes remaining on the clock, which German international Kai Havertz duly converted to hand the Blues a maiden international crown.
Betting Odds
We’ve crunched the stats and browsed the betting markets ahead of Saturday’s keenly anticipated match-up, enabling us to provide you with some data-driven betting tips.
Tip: Pedro Neto to score anytime: 11/4 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will land if Pedro Neto scores at any time during the match.
Neto has netted in each of his three appearances at the Club World Cup, claiming the opener in meetings with LAFC and Botafogo before adding to Chelsea’s lead against Benfica. Four of the Portuguese winger’s seven attempts in the U.S. have hit the target, suggesting more goals could be on their way.
Tip: Over 25.5 shots in the match: 6/4 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will land if there are 26 or more shots during the match.
These two teams lead the shooting charts heading into the quarter-final stage, firing a cumulative total of 135 efforts at goal. With Palmeiras and Chelsea averaging 17.25 and 16.5 shots per match respectively, odds of 6/4 on more than 25.5 attempts provide extremely good value.
Tip: Match outcome to be decided in extra-time – Yes: 6/1 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will land if either team wins the match in extra time.
Both Palmeiras and Chelsea required extra time to successfully navigate their Round of 16 ties, while these opponents fought each other for 120 minutes in the 2021 Club World Cup final. At 6/1, this bet is definitely worth a punt.
Match result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.