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The yellow-card situation ahead of the final. There isn’t one. Fifa have wiped the slate clean after the quarters, so the only way a player will miss the final should their team get there is if they manage to get themselves sent off today. Your best behaviour, gentlemen, please.
Chelsea make three changes to their starting XI after the 2-1 quarter-final win over Palmeiras. Tosin Adarabioyo, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro, the latter making his first start for his new club, replace the absent Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Andrey Santos.
Fluminense make four changes following their 2-1 victory in the quarters over Al-Hilal. Guga, Renê, Hércules and Thiago Santos come in for Samuel Xavier and Gabriel Fuentes, who drop to the bench, and the absent Juan Freytes and Matheus Martinelli. Thiago Silva – who won this competition for Chelsea in 2021 – plays against his old pals.
The teams
Fluminense: Fabio, Santos, Silva, Ignacio, Guga, Rene, Hercules, Nonato, Bernal, Cano, Arias.
Subs: Vitor Eudes, Manoel, Samuel Xavier, Fuentes, Ganso, Soteldo, Lima, Lezcano, Isaac, Everaldo, Keno, Canobbio, Serna, Lavega, Paulo Baya.
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Cucurella, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Caicedo, Palmer, Nkunku, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Slonina, Jorgensen, Penders, James, Sarr, Anselmino, Acheampong, Dewsbury-Hall, Santos, Madueke, Jackson, Guiu, George.
Referee: Francois Letexier (France).
Preamble
Brazil’s clubs went into this competition with a damn sight more enthusiasm than most of the lads from Europe. And now Fluminense, having already seen off the Champions League runners-up Internazionale and Real Madrid-bothering Saudi outfit Al-Hilal, are two matches away from becoming the first Brazilian team to win this tournament since 2012 when Corinthians beat … of course they did … Chelsea. The Blues meanwhile have warmed to this new version of the Club World Cup step by step, and now they’re just two games away from their second world title in four years and an eleventy-squillion pound jackpot. Which – yeah, yeah – may not sound quite so romantic as Fluminense’s bid to win their first world title, striking a blow for their country, their continent, their federation and the whole southern hemisphere. But with glory now within touching distance, Chelsea and their fans are beginning to dream too. Note to enjoyment police: it’s allowed. Kick-off in East Rutherford, New Jersey is at 8pm UK time, 3pm local. It’s on!
