Chelsea are one step away from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, with only Brazilian giants Fluminense standing in the way as they meet in the semifinal on Tuesday in East Rutherford.
The Blues dispatched fellow Brazilian club Palmeiras in the quarterfinals, with an own goal proving the difference with seven minutes to go. Fluminense represent the third Brazilian side Chelsea will face, after losing to Flamengo in the group stage.
Enzo Maresca's side have improved tactically this summer and seen a number of new signings join the squad, but there are also players missing out. An injury, a suspension, and an outgoing transfer have all affected the coach's options as the Premier League giants progress towards the lucrative finish line of this competition.
With $30 million in prize money on the line in this match, the winner will not only bank that massive windfall but also reach the final where they will take on either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides.
Fluminense vs. Chelsea starting lineups, team news
Fluminense will have left-back Rene available after he missed the quarterfinal due to yellow card accumulation. He was one of 10 players on the squad to have been booked through the quarterfinals, but was the only one who triggered a suspension. With yellow cards now wiped from the semifinals on, only a red card would leave someone out of a potential final.
Midfielder Martinelli has come off at halftime in each of the last two games, and appeared to be struggling in both. If he's not fit enough to be involved, he could be replaced by Hercules, who came off the bench as his replacement and scored key goals in both games. They are already without 31-year-old midfielder Otavio, who is recovering from an Achilles tear suffered back in March.
Fluminense possess strong veteran leadership, as 37-year-old striker German Cano, 40-year-old Thiago Silva, and 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio have all played major roles in their push to the quarterfinals this summer.
Fluminense starting lineup (3-4-1-2, right to left): 1. Fabio (GK) — 4. Ignacio, 3. T. Silva, 29. T. Santos — 6. Rene, 35. Hercules, 5. Bernal, 23. Guga — 16. Nonato — 21. Arias, 14. Cano
Injured: Martinelli (knock, doubt), Otavio (Achilles).
Suspended: None.
Full Fluminense squad
Goalkeepers: Vitor Eudes, Fabio, Marcelo Pitaluga, Gustavo Ramalho
Defenders: Juan Freytes, Gabriel Fuentes, Guga, Ignacio, Manoel, Rene, Thiago Santos, Thiago Silva, Samuel Xavier
Midfielders: Facundo Bernal, Wallace Davi, Ganso, Hercules, Isaque, Lima, Martinelli, Nonato, Ruben Lezcano
Forwards: Jhon Arias, Paulo Baya, German Cano, Agustin Canobbio, Everaldo, Riquelme Felipe, Keno, Joaquin Lavega, Kevin Serna, Yeferson Soteldo.
Nicolas Jackson returned from a two-match suspension last game but did not start over new signing Liam Delap up front, and their standing is not clear. Fellow new signing Joao Pedro was registered in time to make his debut for the club in the quarterfinals off the bench and starts today with Delap suspended, leaving Jackson on the bench again.
Moises Caicedo returns from his yellow card suspension, but Chelsea are without Levi Colwill for this match for the same reason. Romeo Lavia is still training individually after a muscle injury and Maresca confirmed he's not ready to play. Additionally, Benoit Badiashile was spotted on crutches after the Palmeiras victory, meaning they will have to get creative at centre-back.
Noni Madueke did not see the field against Benfica, and while rumours swirl of a potential summer transfer, he's unlikely to be risked unless Chelsea become desperate for attacking injection off the bench.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Sanchez (GK) — 27. Gusto, 4. Adarabioyo, 23. Chalobah, 3. Cucurella — 8. E. Fernandez, 25. Caicedo — 7. Neto, 18. Nkunku, 10. Palmer — 20. Pedro.
Injured: James (muscle, doubt), W. Fofana (muscle), Kellyman (hamstring), Badiashile (leg), Lavia (muscle).
Suspended: Colwill (yellow cards), Delap (yellow cards).
Full Chelsea squad
Goalkeepers: Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Robert Sanchez, Gaga Slonina
Defenders: Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Mamadou Sarr
Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Dario Essugo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos
Forwards: Liam Delap, Marc Guiu, Tyrique George, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro.
Fluminense vs. Chelsea score prediction
Chelsea have been impressive this tournament, especially from a defensive perspective.
Against Palmeiras, the Blues conceded a goal, but on the whole gave up just seven shots worth 0.21 expected goals. They conceded just once to Benfica while holding Esperance de Tunis and LAFC to a goose egg, and even in defeat to Flamengo in the group stage, they kept a lid on the match until Nicolas Jackson was sent off.
Fluminense were held goalless by Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns, and won't have enough firepower to keep up.
Prediction: Fluminense 1-3 Chelsea
How to watch Fluminense vs. Chelsea: Live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Club World Cup semifinal match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Tue, Jul. 8 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | TNT, truTV, TUDN, UniMas | Fubo, Sling, DAZN |
| Canada | Tue, Jul. 8 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Tue, Jul. 8 | 8 p.m. BST | Channel 5 | DAZN |
| Australia | Wed, Jul. 9 | 5 a.m. AEST | — | DAZN, Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now |
| India | Wed, Jul. 9 | 12:30 a.m. IST | — | DAZN, tabii |