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The Blues, with their expensively assembled squad, are clear favourites to win on Tuesday.
Enzo Maresca’s youthful Chelsea go up against their own ageless Brazilian club legend on Tuesday when they take on Fuminense in the semifinals of the Fifa Club World Cup at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Silva was Chelsea’s star defender
When Thiago Silva was signed by Chelsea as free agent back in 2020, he was already 35, the silky central defender coming off a glittering career in Europe with AC Milan and Paris St Germain.
Some felt Silva may have already been past the best years of his career, but his performances for the Blues quickly won over the sceptics at Stamford Bridge. With Chelsea, Silva won his first ever Uefa Champions League title in 2021, and also won the Club World Cup with the Blues at the end of the same year.
He also won Chelsea’s Player of the Year for the 2022/23 season, eventually leaving the club in May 2024 to join his boyhood side Fluminense.
Now 40 years-old, Silva is the captain of a Fluminense side that has done superbly to get to the semifinals of this year’s Club World Cup.
Renato Gaucho’s side were probably the least fancied of the Brazilian teams when the tournament kicked off, but they are now the only remaining South American side in the competition.
Fluminense have not lost a match en route to the last four, their success built on a solid defence, led by Silva and their 44 year-old goalkeeper Flavio.
Fluminense have conceded just three goals in five matches in the Club World Cup so far, while in attack Colombian Jhon Arias has been in superb form.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea will certainly be familiar with Brazilian club football after this tournament – they lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stages, but beat Palmeiras 2-1 to progress to the semifinals.
Fluminense worth a risk?
The Blues, with their expensively assembled squad, are clear favourites to win on Tuesday, priced at 1.67 according to the latest Betway odds.
Fluminense are an outside pick at 5.20 while a draw is priced at 3.80.
The sensible money will be on Chelsea, but Fluminense already stunned Italian giants Inter Milan in the last 16, and will certainly provide more reward for anyone willing to take a risk.
Please note that these Betway odds are correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
