Fluminense vs Chelsea Prediction: The Blues can book their place in the final

After scraping past Palmeiras in the Fifa Club World Cup quarter-finals, Chelsea get another taste of Brazil in the last four as they take on Fluminense at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday (20:00 BST, live on Betfred).

Fluminense are the last South American club standing and they will battle with the Blues for a place in Sunday's final. Read on for my Fluminense vs Chelsea predictions, accompanied by the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Fluminense have suspensions to cope with on Tuesday, as centre-back Juan Pablo Freytes and midfielder Matheus Martinelli are unavailable for selection.

Hercules came on to score against Al-Hilal last time out and he may be promoted to the XI to fill in for the latter against Chelsea.

Boss Renato Gaucho has switched to a back three during the knockout stage and in the heart of it will stand ex-Chelsea man Thiago Silva at 40 years of age.

German Cano and attacking talisman Jhon Arias should once again lead the Brazilian outfit's front line. Arias has been a very busy man for Flu, as he has had the most shots, chances and dribbles in his team at the tournament.

Chelsea have two suspensions of their own to deal with in Liam Delap and Levi Colwill, so boss Enzo Maresca will be forced into a couple of changes on Tuesday. It's good news for him that he has other options in Nicolas Jackson and new signing Joao Pedro, who could be in line to make his full debut for the Blues.

Tosin Adarabioyo may come in to deputise for Colwill in defence. Reece James sustained an injury in the warm-up last time out to join Romeo Lavia in the treatment room, so it remains to be seen if either can feature in New Jersey.

Moises Caicedo is set to return to the engine room after serving a one-match ban. Chelsea's latest acquisition, Jamie Gittens, is ineligible to play.

Fluminense vs Chelsea Odds

Fluminense are unbeaten in 90 minutes across their last 11 matches and they are 5/1 to beat Chelsea in regulation time.

Two of their five appearances at the Club World Cup so far have ended in stalemates, with the draw marketed at 11/4 on this occasion.

Chelsea are 4/6, which has an implied probability of 60%, to prevail in normal time, having won 11 of their past 14 fixtures inside 90 minutes.

There have been goals at both ends in four of the Blues' previous six games in all competitions, and both teams to score is priced at 11/10 for Tuesday's clash.

Bet Builder Boost - Chelsea to win, Joao Pedro to score & Cole Palmer to score or assist @ 7/2 9/2

I like the look of this Bet Builder Boost because Chelsea have demonstrated their quality throughout the tournament. They experienced a setback when they lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage, so there might have been some nerves coming up against another Brazilian side in Palmeiras in the last round.

That is a test they passed convincingly so they should fancy themselves to handle whatever Fluminense throw at them in this semi-final. Flu have also lost the xG battle in their previous three matches, so it feels like their luck is going to have to run out at some point.

Chelsea have looked rather solid at the back and they have shown their attacking capabilities in front of goal, so they may just be able to get the job done in regulation time.

Joao Pedro is someone who can play a starring role, especially if he is handed his first start here, and how fitting would it be to come against his former club. The Brazilian forward is having to compete with both Delap and Jackson to become Maresca's main man up front, and he will relish the challenge.

As well as scoring goals, Maresca looks for a forward who can link up well with the other attacking players, as well as offering a physical presence up top. Joao Pedro can offer these things but it is ultimately goals that will sway the Italian coach, so the forward will be desperate to get on the scoresheet in this crunch clash - and I'm backing him to do just that.

Cole Palmer was on the scoresheet in the last game and he could also play a pivotal role for the Blues in New Jersey. When he is on-song, the former Manchester City man is the most important man on the pitch for Chelsea as he brings everything together.

He started in the number 10 role against Palmeiras and there is no denying that is his best position as this is where he can cause the most damage. With him right in the thick of the action, he becomes a much more threatening asset for the Blues, allowing him shots at goal or the room to thread eye-of-the-needle passes to his supporting cast members.

With that in mind, I think he can rack up another goal contribution on Tuesday.

Over 2.5 goals @ 11/10

As this is set to be a tense semi-final, I do think there could be a few goals on offer. Over 2.5 goals has been a successful bet in five of Chelsea's last six fixtures in all competitions, with just one of their CWC appearances featuring fewer than three goals.

This has also been a winning selection in two of Fluminense's previous five appearances in this tournament, including their latest outing against Al-Hilal.

Offers

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