Chelsea FC, Monterrey and Palmeiras fight for the throne of the FIFA Club World Cup [Video]

Chelsea FC, European champion, will defend the absolute dominance of the Old Continent in the Club World Cup against the other great contenders, the Brazilian Palmeiras and the Mexican Monterrey, who come to the United Arab Emirates to put an end to a decade of American drought.

Since Corinthians won the final of 2011 precisely against Chelsea (1-0) with a goal from Peruvian Paolo Guerrero, no American team has managed to lift the trophy. Real Madrid, with four titles, Bayern Munich, with two, and Liverpool and Barcelona, ​​with one, have confirmed the dominance of the winner of the European Champions League.

Appears for the second consecutive edition Palmeiras after winning the Copa Libertadores again. He does it willing to get rid of the thorn of last year, when he fell in the semifinals against the Mexican Tigres UANL (0-1).

The Rayados de Monterrey, Concacaf champions, traveled to Abu Dhabi with the mission of being protagonists of the Club World Cup under the baton of a great connoisseur of European football such as Javier Aguirre.

Will play the tournament for the fifth time after doing it in 2011, 2012, 2013 Y 2019. He was third in the last two and his mission is to improve this place at least. To do so, they must beat the Egyptian Al-Ahly, one of the most traditional and storied clubs in Africa, in the quarterfinals, and then Palmeiras would be waiting for them in the semifinals.

Last year Tigres UANL taught them the road to the Rayados, although, before starting, the key for Aguirre is to go step by step, focus on the Egyptian team and later on the Brazilian team.

On the other hand, Chelsea from German Thomas Tuchel awaits rival. He will come from the team that wins the previous round between the local Al-Jazeera and the Tahitian rookie Pirae and the one that wins this clash against Saudi Al-Hilal.

Al-Jazeera was fourth in 2019, also at home, but in the semi-finals it caused numerous problems for Real Madrid (1-2), the eventual champion, who had to come from behind in the second period with goals from the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and the Welshman Gareth Bale.

Pirae will be the first team from Tahiti to participate in a Club World Cup. It will do so after the impossibility of New Zealand’s Auckland City traveling due to the pandemic and has even moved reduced after being affected by an outbreak. The coach, Naea Bennett, assured that there are no excuses and that they will try to make a good presentation against the team led by former Dutch soccer player Marcel Keizer.

The match that will kick off will start at 16.550 GMT at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi this Thursday 3rd. The clash between Al-Ahly and Monterrey, at the same time, and the quarterfinals will be completed on Sunday.

Palmeiras and Chelsea, as top seeds, await the progress of the tournament. The Brazilian team will play at Al Nahyan on Tuesday the 8th and Chelsea on Wednesday the 9th at the Mohammad Bin Zayed, the venue for the final on Saturday 12.

Schedule:

– 1st round:

02.03 17.550 (16.17 GMT) Al Jazeera-AS Pirae (Mohammad Bin Zayed Std.)

– Quarter finals

05.02 17.17 (17.30 GMT) Al Ahly-Monterrey (Al Nahyan Std.)

05.00 17.30 (16.30 GMT) Al Hilal-Winner Al Jazira-Pirae (Mohammad Bin Zayed)

– Semifinals:

02.02 17.17 (16.30 GMT) Palmeiras-Winner Al Ahly-Monterrey (Al Nahyan)

09.02 17.550 (17.30 GMT) Winner QF2-Chelsea (Mohammad Bin Zayed)