Without three of his four starting defenses and with the Brazilian jewel Estêvão challenging what will be his next team, Palmeiras will try to assault Chelsea on Friday in Philadelphia to advance to the semifinals of the Club World Cup.
The last pearl of the incombustible quarry of Brazil has recognized its “anxiety” to join the London – who signed it for more than US $ 60 million last year, including bonds – once the renewed FIFA tournament ends.
But first he must command the Paulista attack in the quarterfinal duel at the Lincoln Financial Field stadium (01:00 GMT on Saturday), where Abel Ferreira’s men arrive with a very touched rear to cope with one of the most scoring teams in the tournament.
All eyes will be pending 18 -year -old attacker, who has had a vertiginous growth in football, already wearing the world’s pentacampeones shirt five times and standing out in this club World Cup.
The winner of the struggle between Brazilians and English will face Fluminense Carioca or the Saudi Hilal, who open the rooms on Friday in Orlando at 15:00 local (19:00 GMT).
– “A dream that I’m going to fulfill” –
The blues hired Estêvão, considered the greatest Brazilian talent since Neymar, before he fulfilled the age of majority, in one more sample of European voracity to guarantee the stars of the future.
Since then, we always talk about his landing in Stamford Bridge. And the player himself, still with body and speaking adolescents, has recognized the difficulty of staying concentrated before crossing the Atlantic.
“It is a dream that I am going to fulfill, but I know that I have to focus here, work, it is not easy. The longer the moment is close, the anxiety hits,” said youth, who can play for the bands or the center of the attack. Defended by Ferreira, architect of the Great Walk of Palmeiras, with two liberating glasses won in the last five years (2020 and 2021), Estêvão must lead the offensive of a greenish green with thirst for retaliation. “It is perfectly normal to feel anxiety, have a dream and feel that it will be fulfilled,” said the DT. Chelsea beat 2-1 in the extension of the Brazilians in the 2021 Club World Cup final, played in February 2022, when the tournament was played just seven teams, compared to the current 32. That was the most at odd final of recent years in the contest between teams in Europe and South America, which does not conquer the title since Corinthians, a great Palmeirense rival, defeated Chelsea 1-0 in 2012. The round of the eight best after beating the Botafogo in lengthening in a Brazilian eighth. In addition to the wallet difference, Palmeiras will not have three titular defenses: the Paraguayan Captain Gustavo Gómez, the Uruguayan side Joaquín Piquerez and the Brazilian defender Murilo. The first was expelled against the Cariocas, the second accumulated yellow and the third is injured, so Ferreira must rearm his rear before a rival who comes from eliminating 4-1 with Benfica de Ángel Di María and who has scored ten goals in four games. In addition, the Champions of the Conference League will have the return of Senegalese attacker Nicolas Jackson, who has already paid a suspension of two dates, and with his brand new reinforcement, Brazilian striker João Pedro. However, Enzo Maresca will suffer a sensitive decline in the midfield, that of Ecuadorian Moisés Caicedo, suspended by accumulation of yellow. “It’s a football game, you can never say that a team is the favorite,” warned the Belgian flyer Roméo Lavia. “They have a good team.” Probable alignments: Palmeiras: Weverton – Agustín Giay, Bruno Fuchs, Micael, Vanderlan – Emiliano Martínez, Richard Ríos, Mauricio – Estêvão, Allan, Vitor Roque. DT: Abel Ferreira. Chelsea: Robert Sánchez – Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella – Enzo Fernández, Roméo Lavia, – Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke – Nicolas Jackson. DT: Enzo Maresca. Raa/ma
