The quarter-finals of this new Club World Cup have been decided. Out of 32 teams, only eight will fight, from Friday 4th July, to reach the semi-finals in the United States.
Palmeiras v Chelsea
Palmeiras won the duel between Brazilian teams, putting in a good performance against the champions of the last Libertadores. They got through in a match with a clear Brasileirao colour, with more fighting than playing. Chelsea, who had to go to extra time in a very long match, will be up against them but, in extra time, they showed all their dominance against Benfica.
The star name in this quarter-final is Estevao. The Palmeiras player faces his team, Chelsea, with whom he has already signed and with whom he will play for once the Club World Cup ends. He will have to prove his worth against his future teammates, for example, Enzo Fernandez who continues to prove the importance of his purchase.
Palmeiras and Chelsea have met on one occasion in an official match… a match that decided a title. The Blues beat the ‘Verdao’ 2-1 in the final of the 2022 Club World Cup. Only three years have passed, but only Trevoh Chalobah survives from that Chelsea squad, and he didn’t even play in that game.
Fluminense v Al Hilal
The big surprise of these quarter-finals is the tie itself. Few teams tipped Fluminense as favourites against Inter, but they proved to be in better shape physically, but more importantly mentally. Al-Hilal blew all bets out of the water by beating a Manchester City side who came in looking like a force to be reckoned with. The Saudis have been the bellwether of these crossings.
The hierarchy and leadership of the ‘Flu’ has 40 years on its card. Thiago Silva will once again be the leader of a rocky defence and will have to face a promising Saudi attack… in which Aleksandar Mitrovic may appear for the first time. The Serbian has not made his debut at the Club World Cup due to injury, but he could get his first minutes.
Fluminense and Al-Hilal have never met in an official match in their history. What the Saudi side have done is play against a Brazilian club. In fact, it has happened twice, both times against Flamengo and with a record of one win and one loss.
PSG v Bayern Munich
The quarter-final everyone was waiting for. This season’s all-conquering PSG showed their class in a spectacular 45 minutes against Inter Miami. Of course, they will have the toughest of opponents in Bayern Munich, who edged out Flamengo in the last 16.
There are many great players in the PSG-Bayern Munich tie, but perhaps none will take as much credit as the two compasses. Vitinha and Kimmich go head-to-head to lead not only their team’s play, but that of the match in the quest for the semi-finals.
The French and German sides have met on 14 occasions in an official match and, curiously, none of them have been drawn. The balance is six wins for PSG and eight for Bayern, with the last four in favour of the Bavarians.
Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid managed to overcome Juventus’ solid defence, being superior to the ‘Vecchia Signora’ in general terms. On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund were the opposite of Real Madrid, going from better to worse and almost suffering against Monterrey, who had chances to force extra time.
No doubt the duel of the match would have been Jude vs Jobe Bellingham. However, the German player picked up his second yellow card and will serve a suspension. So, with Mbappe more than likely to start, the goalscoring duel will be with Guirassy, who has already put himself firmly in the fight for the top goalscorer with his brace in the last 16.
Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have already met on a total of 16 occasions. The balance is in favour of the ‘Merengues’, with 8 wins, to just 3 for the Germans. In addition, there have been 5 draws. The most recent duel was this season in the League Phase of the Champions League, a match that ended in a comeback and victory for the ‘Merengues’. Even more painful was the defeat in the Champions League final for the Germans against the same rival.
