There's a David vs. Goliath vibe to this quarterfinal matchup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as Chelsea FC of the English Premier League face SE Palmeiras, one of two clubs from Brazil and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A left in the final eight of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Chelsea boasts the third-most-valuable squad in the world – an assemblage of players worth €1.2 billion, if you go by the somewhat vibes-based squad values on Transfermarkt.
Conversely, Palmeiras comes in at 47th on that same list with a group of players worth a "modest" €256.6 million. The underdogs from São Paulo will be looking to earn a second positive result against a European power after holding FC Porto to a 0-0 draw at MetLife Stadium to open their tournament.
Michael Battista
Palmeiras got to this Quarterfinal by winning a Battle of Brazil in the Round of 16, topping Rio de Janeiro-based rivals Botafogo 1-0 in extra time, a game staged at the same Philadelphia NFL stadium set to host their Chelsea clash.
Will the comfort of staying at the same venue for a second game and playing in front of a pro-Palmeiras crowd on an anti-English holiday in America help? Beating Chelsea and advancing to the semifinals isn't an easy task in the least.
While Chelsea haven't looked like the most formidable team in the tournament and already lost to one club from Brazil's Série A – a 3-1 defeat against Flamengo in the group stage – they still roll out a star-studded lineup and will enter the Linc as the favorite to reach the semifinals.
Here are 5 Things to know before you watch Palmeiras-Chelsea, which also happens to be a rematch of the 2021 Club World Cup Final, which Chelsea won on a Kai Havertz penalty kick in extra time, way back when it was an entirely different-looking tournament.
1. A tough defense to crack
Palmeiras shut out their opponents in three of four matches played to reach this quarterfinal against Chelsea. The only team to put goals past Palmeiras in the tournament has been Inter Miami CF, who scored twice but still settled for just a 2-2 draw after a late comeback from the still-unbeaten Brazilian club.
The Palmeiras goalkeeper Wéverton hasn't been super busy, only making eight saves while facing 10 shot attempts, so it's been a group defensive effort on the part of Palmeiras, not a hot keeper standing on his head.
The question for Palmeiras will be how they deal with two key defensive absences. Defenders Joaquín Piquerez and Gustavo Gómez have started for Palmeiras in all four matches, but both are suspended for this quarterfinal vs Chelsea. Those will be two big holes to fill for head coach Abel Ferreira, who is also expected to still be without another starter in his defense, center-back Murilo Cerqueira, who went off injured in the 17th minute of the 2-2 draw with Inter Miami in the group stage.
While Palmeiras have been great defensively in this tournament, they'll be deploying a makeshift backline while trying to contain Chelsea.
Michael Battista
2. Chelsea uncertainty without Moises Caicedo
While Palmeiras will be without at least three important defenders, Chelsea's midfield will be missing arguably its most important piece. Moises Caicedo picked up a yellow card for dissent late in the wild 4-1 extra-time win over Benfica in the Round of 16, a second yellow for him in the tournament which translates to an automatic one-match ban.
It's a huge loss for Chelsea, but don't take it just from me, take it from the London-based Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, who wrote this excellent piece on Caicedo's importance in the Chelsea midfield. Steinberg refers to the Ecuadorian as Chelsea's linchpin, singling him out as the squad's best tackler while raising real questions over how Enzo Maresca will account for his absence against Palmeiras.
Caicedo started every Premier League game for the Blues last season and has started in three of four Club World Cup games, given a rest in the comfortable group win over Espérance Sportive de Tunis. Will Reece James move from right-back into a defensive midfield role, might Enzo Fernández drop deeper and show off his versatility, or will Maresca turn to his bench and perhaps give a player like the recently-signed Dário Essugo a look?
3. The hobbled Brazilian super-sub
Coaches would dream of having a bench option like Paulinho at Palmeiras based on how he's looked in his last two appearances. He’s entered as a substitute and scored goals in back-to-back games for the Brazilian side, and both those goals have been huge.
His first against Inter Miami contributed to Palmeiras' second-half comeback to earn a draw that ensured they didn't line up with Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16. Then against the more familiar level of foe in Botafogo, Paulinho scored the only goal again as a sub – he's entered all four Palmeiras matches off the bench and now scored vitals goal in his two most recent appearances.
That he's doing this while not playing at 100% makes it all the more impressive. Paulinho had surgery in December 2024 to correct a leg injury, returned in April, but has remained slowed by issues related to his original injury. His coach Abel Ferreira admitted after the Botafogo match that Paulinho can't play more than 30 minutes and needs another operation to address his health after Palmeiras end their Club World Cup run.
Oliver Strand
4. Maresca under the microscope
Chelsea have an absurdly deep roster, but their manager has decisions beyond the above-mentioned one about replacing Moises Caicedo in his midfield. Center-back Benoît Badiashile started in the last two matches but is injured after leaving the Benfica match in the 70th minute and appears to also be unavailable for this game.
He also gets striker Nicolas Jackson back from a two-match suspension earned for Jackson's red-card foul in the humbling 3-1 loss to Flamengo. New signing Liam Delap started in Jackson's absence but had zero shot attempts against Benfica in 80 minutes – is that enough to go right back to Jackson in a bigger game after his previous rash tackle?
Second-guessing happens with every manager but it might be easier to do for the Chelsea manager than most given the wealth of options to choose from at each position. One thing working in Maresca's favor: No thunderstorms are in the forecast for Friday night in Philadelphia, so he's spared the need for more rants about the summer weather in the United States and the impossibility of weather delays in soccer.
5. The Estêvão intrigue
It must be an incredibly strange match to prepare for and potentially play in for Estêvão Willian of Palmeiras. Back in 2024, the 18-year-old winger agreed to a £29 million deal to join Chelsea ahead of the 2025-2026 season.
He knew the Club World Cup would be his Palmeiras curtain call, but he couldn't know he'd end up facing down a Palmeiras-Chelsea head-to-head in the Quarterfinals.
The match-up only adds to the awkwardness of Estêvão's last days with his soon-to-be-ex Palmeiras, a team he's confirmed to leave whenever their Club World Cup ends. Coming up against the very team he'll join post-Palmeiras in a high-stakes elimination game makes for one of the better, more absurd storylines heading into the match.
Estêvão started all four Palmeiras matches to date at this Club World Cup, so it would be a surprise to not see him out there – even if everything he does on the pitch in Philadelphia will both help and hurt his teams, plural.
Michael Battista
