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A lot will be at stake when the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium hosts Chelsea and Palmeiras for the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
There’s the main plot of two continental champions battling for a trophy they’ve never won before. And then there’s Jorginho, who’s aiming for personal revenge.
The Chelsea midfielder was born in Brazil to a family of Italian ancestry. Although he has since pledged his allegiance to the Azzurri, he has fond memories of his childhood in the South American country.
At age 12, Jorginho had trials with Palmeiras hoping to kickstart his football career. However, he was rejected by the Alviverde and he hasn’t forgotten about that episode.
Currently a European champion with Chelsea and Italy, Jorginho has added motivation to get one over Palmeiras. But so does his club, which lost in the Club World Cup to another Brazilian team, Corinthians, a decade ago.
Chelsea target first Club World Cup success
The Chelsea team that lost to Corinthians in 2012 was more mature and had more leaders than the current side. But the difference is that Tuchel’s side has the benefit of hindsight and know that underrating their opponents would be a big mistake.
The Blues have won every other major trophy since Roman Abramovich took over in 2004, except for the Club World Cup and they’ll be desperate to make a clean sweep.
Tuchel’s side rode their luck at times against Al Hilal in the semifinals and weren’t too convincing in the course of the 90 minutes. On Saturday, though, they’ll need to be at their best to beat Palmeiras.
The South American champions made light work of Al Ahly in the other semi-final game and, given the chance, they wouldn’t hesitate to wreak havoc. The onus, however, lies with Chelsea to punch above their weight to earn victory.
Unflinching Palmeiras stand in Blues’ way
For those who know very little about Palmeiras, they are the most successful team in Brazil, having won the domestic league a record 10 times.
The Alviverde have also won the Copa Libertadores three times, winning the trophy back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. That’s how good and great they are.
Even better for the Brazilian side, they’re coming into the final on the back of a ten-game unbeaten run.
They are proper mentality monsters and the siege mentality instilled in the players by manager Abel Ferreira means they go into every game believing they can win – even if they don’t play well.
The Blues will be up against it and will need to be at their utmost best to win this final. Anything less, and it could be déjà vu for the Blues after the disaster of 2012 against Corinthians.
