The FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals take center stage from Tuesday evening.
Brazilian side Fluminense, England’s Chelsea, Real Madrid from Spain, and French outfit Paris Saint-Germain are all two games away from Club World Cup glory.
On Tuesday, Fluminense will meet Chelsea at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and the match kicks off at 21H00 South African time.
Considered a dark horse, the South Americans are led by former Chelsea center-back Thiago Silva, and the favourites, Chelsea, have been warned it won’t be a walk in the park for them.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in us, and here we are in the semi-finals,” says Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho.
“At this moment in time, Fluminense are among the four best teams in the world. I always tell (the players) that we can’t leave for tomorrow what can be done today, because we never know when another opportunity like this will come.
“We have to keep dreaming, but one step at a time. That’s been our approach from the minute we got here. We want to win the tournament, but we know how difficult that will be. Chelsea wants the same thing as us: to get to the final.”
Chelsea are without suspended duo Levi Colwill and Liam Delap, but Moisés Caicedo is available again and will come back into the Blues’ midfield.
On Wednesday, in a mouthwatering clash, Paris Saint-Germain will entertain Real Madrid at the same venue (21H00).
The winners of this expanded 32-team tournament will take home USD40 million (R707 million).
