Fluminense will take on Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup on Tuesday, 8 July, with both teams eyeing an unlikely place in the final on Sunday.
At the start of the tournament, not many people would have predicted that either of these two teams would have made it this far, but they will now feel they can go all the way.
Fluminense, in particular, have punched above their weight throughout the tournament and are now the only non-European side remaining.
How the bookies view it: Chelsea start as the favourites
Chelsea are the odds-on favourites with the bookies for this clash, with BoyleSports pricing them at 8/13 to get the job done inside 90 minutes. Fluminense, meanwhile, are considered big underdogs and have been priced at 4/1 to win the match. The draw has been priced at 13/5, which would see us go to extra time and potentially penalties.
Head to head: A first encounter
This will be the first time that Chelsea and Fluminense have played each other, which adds an element of the unknown to the fixture. Chelsea's record against other Brazilian sides is mixed, with two wins from four matches, while Fluminense lost the only match they have ever played against an English side – a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in 2023.
Players to watch: A full debut on the cards for Chelsea's new forward?
Joao Pedro may have only signed for Chelsea at the beginning of July, but the former Brighton man flew straight out to the USA and came off the bench in their quarter-final win over Palmeiras.
With Liam Delap out suspended for the semi-final, there is every chance that Pedro gets the nod from the start on Tuesday, which will be an exciting moment for the player and Chelsea supporters.
Last season, the Brazilian hit double digits in the Premier League for Brighton, and he will now be hoping to build on that now he's playing with better players.
The man who will be looking to keep the shackles on Pedro on Tuesday is someone very familiar with Chelsea – Thiago Silva. The 40-year-old is still going strong for Fluminense and will feel he still has two big performances left in him this summer.
Predicted line-ups
As mentioned, Liam Delap is unavailable for this one due to suspension. He isn't the only one, with Levi Cowill also on the naughty step for Chelsea and Juan Pablo Freytes and Martinelli set to miss out for Fluminense for the same reason.
Fluminense: Fabio – Ignacio, Silva, Fuentes – Xavier, Bernal, Hercules, Nonato, Rene – Arias, Cano
Chelsea: Sanchez – Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella – Caicedo, Fernandez – Neto, Palmer, Nkunku – Pedro
Anything else catch the eye?
Fluminense have proven themselves to be more than capable of competing in matches against other European sides throughout the Club World Cup, recording a win over Inter Milan and a draw against Borussia Dortmund. A key part of those results were clean sheets. Fluminense to keep a clean sheet on Tuesday has been priced at 15/4 by BoyleSports.
GambleAware