Club World Cup: Fluminense vs Chelsea - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

New Zealand betting sites didn’t rank Fluminense or Chelsea among the top favourites to go far in the tournament — yet here they are, set to face off in a semi-final clash at MetLife Stadium on Wednesday.

This will be Chelsea’s third match against a Brazilian team in this tournament. They fell to Flamengo in the group stages before beating Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. 

Fluminense, on the other hand, have enjoyed success against some of the strongest teams in the competition. So, they will fancy their chances of making it to the final at Chelsea’s expense. Read on for a breakdown of our football betting tips on this clash.

Fluminense

Fluminense are playing at the Club World Cup for only the second time in their history, but they are now a match away from making back-to-back finals in the tournament. 

The Tricolor finished runner-ups in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund, which was the common expectation across football betting sites. But few could have predicted what came next.

Fluminense knocked out Inter Milan in the round-of-16 and kept their winning march going by eliminating Saudi Pro League powerhouse Al Hilal. 

Renato Gaucho described his team as the 'ugly duckling' of the last eight heading into the quarter-finals, but Fluminense have continued to impress against top opposition, and they'll be aiming to cause problems for Chelsea too.

Team News: Suspensions rule out Juan Pablo Freytes and Martinelli, but Fluminense will welcome back Rene into the squad. 

Predicted Lineup: Fabio; Samuel Xavier, Thiago Silva, Ignacio, Fuentes, Rene; Hercules, Bernal, Nonato; Cano, Arias.

Chelsea

Chelsea became the first club in history to win all three UEFA competitions in May when they claimed the Conference League. The Blues are now two wins away from hitting another milestone in international football. 

If they can lift the trophy next week at MetLife Stadium, Chelsea will become the English team to win the Club World Cup twice, and the first to win the tournament in its old and new format. 

Chelsea punched their tickets to the semifinals by seeing off Palmeiras in a hard fought battle. Enzo Maresca’s men have not been the brightest team in the tournament by any means, but their international pedigree makes them strong contenders for the Club World Cup title.

Team News: Liam Delap and Levi Colwell are suspended, and Reece James might join them in the absentee list as the Chelsea skipper has a fitness issue. 

Predicted Lineup: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.

• Fluminense have conceded three goals in five games at the Club World Cup this season.
• Chelsea failed to keep a clean sheet in three of their last four matches.
• Chelsea have won twice and lost twice in their four games against Brazilian teams. Both of Chelsea’s wins came against Palmeiras.

Chelsea don’t have the most encouraging record against Brazilian opponents. They’ve won and lost 50% of their competitive matches against sides from Brazil. However, Palmeiras remain the only team from the Latin American nation they’ve managed to defeat so far. 

Fluminense captain Thiago Silva knows his side’s upcoming opponents well, having won both the Champions League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea. His Palmeiras backline also appears to be the more stable of the two defences.

With Rory Delap gone, it’s unclear whether Chelsea still hold the edge in attack. And if Reece James misses out on the matchday squad, it would further blunt their offensive threat while also weakening their defence.

Fluminense have drawn with Borussia Dortmund and beaten Inter Milan and Al Hilal to reach here. We believe they have enough in their arsenal to beat Chelsea and reach the final. 

Fluminense 1-0 Chelsea @ $12.00

Fluminense have beaten two excellent sides in the knockouts and shown that they can be extremely difficult to break down. The Brazilians should be able to keep Chelsea at bay and score the only winning goal of the match. So, a 1-0 win for Fluminense looks like a good value bet with 20Bet at $12.