Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League winners are getting a short break from Premier League action to try and win the tournament for the first time.
Chelsea did get to the final the last time they won the Champions League in 2012 but were beaten by Brazilian outfit Corinthians.
They now face the Saudi winners following their thrashing of hosts Al Jazira.
Al Hilal Firing In Goals
Chelsea are very much expected to win the semi-final clash against AFC champions Al Hilal, but Leonardo Jardim’s side did at least send a warning out to the Blues with their 6-1 battering of Al Jazira on Sunday.
They did have to win the hard way as the United Arab Emirates outfit as Abdoulay Diaby grabbed the opener after 14 minutes.
However, Jardim’s men then turned on the style with former Watford and Manchester United man Odion Ighalo netting the equaliser.
Then, former West Brom man Matheus Pereira scored four minutes later to make it 2-1.
Four more goals in the second half sealed a comfortable win and now they will attempt to get to the final for the first time after finishing fourth in 2019.
Chelsea go into the game not in the best form domestically, with their results over the past two months seeing them drop well adrift of Manchester City in the race for the league title.
#MondayMotivation with Mase!
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— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 7, 2022
They have conceded goals in seven of their last ten games while the Saudis have invested heavily in the attacking aspects of their team – Pereira and Ighalo are joined by Peruvian winger Andre Carrillo and former Porto striker Moussa Marega.
Chelsea were unconvincing in their win against Plymouth at the weekend in the FA Cup fourth round and while they should have enough quality to get on top of Al Hilal, it could be a closely fought contest.
Tuchel’s men can be backed to beat Jardim’s with both teams scoring at 29/20.
Palmeiras Flying The Flag For South America
The other team entering the Club World Cup at the semi-final stage are CONMEBOL champions Palmeiras as they prepare to face Egyptian outfit Al Ahly on Tuesday afternoon.
Al Ahly squeezed past Mexican outfit Monterrey on Saturday with Mohamed Hany grabbing the only goal of the game.
Aside from Europe, South America is the only continent to have produced winner of this tournament, with Corinthians, Internacional, and Sao Paulo lifting the trophy, and Palmeiras will aim to emulate them.
The form of both teams is quite contrasting – Palmeiras are currently on an unbeaten run of nine matches stretching back to November.
Defensively, they have been particularly impressive with five of their last six matches seeing them earn clean sheets.
Al Ahly’s win against Monterrey meanwhile, was their first win in six matches, with five of those winless games ending all square.
Palmeiras can be backed to win the contest 1-0 at 33/10.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
