Chelsea defeated Benfica in the Round of 16 while Palmeiras narrowly beat fellow Brazilian club Botafogo in their Round of 16 encounter and they will play each other in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup on 5th July at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia.
Here’s our preview and prediction for the Quarterfinal match between Palmeiras and Chelsea at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
The Blues have looked in sublime form in this Club World Cup campaign except for the match against Flamengo where they were shocked. They went into the Round of 16 full of confidence and defeated Benfica 4-1 in extra-time.
Chelsea broke the deadlock through Reece James in the 64th minute and were cruising to a narrow win until a penalty was awarded to Benfica in stoppage-time which Ángel Di María converted to level proceedings. Benfica also had Gianluca Prestianni sent off in second-half stoppage-time which gave Chelsea a massive advantage going into extra-time.
With numerical advantage, the Blues put Benfica to the sword in a nine-minute frantic spell in extra-time that saw them score three times from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Chelsea has a great squad with top-class young players in every position. However, there is a lack of experienced senior players to guide them in difficult situations. Also, the Chelsea backline is a bit vulnerable. However, their attack and midfield almost make up for defensive fragilities. The likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto and Liam Delap are pacy and difficult to deal with for opponents while Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia bring the control in midfield. In addition, even the defence has looked solid.
As for SE Palmeiras, they had a slightly difficult passage to the quarter-finals with one win and two draws. They met fellow Brazilian club Botafogo in the Round of 16 and grabbed a narrow win in extra-time. Paulinho who had been woefully out-of-form in the group stage sent his club into the quarter-finals with a goal in extra-time.
Palmeiras has no dearth of talent in their squad with players like Paulinho, Richard Rios, Estêvão, Vitor Roque, José Manuel López and Raphael Veiga. Even though one of their players (Estêvão) is on his way to Chelsea this summer, he could play against the team he is joining.
While both teams have match-winning players in their squad, Chelsea has a higher quality squad and having shown better form at this Club World Cup, the Blues are more likely to go through the Semis from this encounter. It’s going to be a cagey affair nonetheless as Palmeiras are a good defensive side.
Score Prediction: SE Palmeiras 1-2 Chelsea
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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