The ongoing FIFA Club World Cup will come to an end on Saturday when Premier League giants Chelsea face off against Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras from Brazil in what promises to be a game of high stakes.

Chelsea, who qualified for the competition via their victory over Manchester City in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League final, reached the Club World Cup final after beating Saudi Arabian football club Al Hilal in the semi-final.

Despite being the superior side on paper, the Blues struggled to break down Al Hilal’s defence but managed to secure the win by a thin margin, thanks to record signing Romelu Lukaku’s 34th minute goal.

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The Blues have previously played in the FIFA Club World Cup only once, after their Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in the 2011/12 season. However, Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Brazilian club and Palmeiras rival Corinthians, and finished second.

As it stands, the FIFA Club World Cup is the only major trophy that Chelsea have not won since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

Chelsea are wary of their Brazilian opponents this time around, and the Blues’ Brazilian-born Italian playmaker Jorginho emphasized the same in a press conference on Friday, saying, “We have a lot of respect for Palmeiras because it’s not by chance they’re here. Anything can happen. The greatest mistake would be for us to go out there thinking we’re the favourites.”

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Palmeiras, meanwhile, are looking for their maiden FIFA Club World Cup trophy. Having qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in 2020, Palmeiras had a disappointing campaign that saw them exit the competition at the semi-final stage without scoring a single goal.

The Brazilian club broke this dismal record this time in the semi-final, when they beat Egyptian football club Al Ahly by a two goal margin thanks to strikes by Raphael Veiga and Dudu.

Despite their goal scoring woes in this tournament, Palmeiras are not a club to be taken lightly, evident in the fact that they have won the Copa Libertadores two years in a row now. The team from Sao Paulo also finished third in the Brazilian Serie A last time round, with an eight point lead over fourth placed Fortaleza.

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Palmeiras have almost all players fit and will be looking to capitalise on Chelsea’s lacklustre run of form in the hopes of a maiden FIFA Club World Cup trophy.

The game will kick-off at 4.30pm GMT (10pm IST) at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE, right after the third-place match between Al Hilal and Al Ahly, which will also be played in the same venue.