Andrey Santos is setting aside his emotions as he readies himself to square off against his childhood idol, Thiago Silva, in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, where Chelsea will take on Fluminense.
After defeating Palmeiras in the quarter-finals, Chelsea is eager to reach the final, but first, they must get past the Brazilian team that eliminated Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia.
As Enzo Maresca’s side steps onto the MetLife Stadium pitch to confront the Warriors, they will be met with an opponent they know well in Silva, who donned the blue jersey of Chelsea from 2020 to 2024.
Santos, who had the privilege of learning under the Brazil legend during his inaugural season at Chelsea, spoke highly of Silva’s impact both on and off the field, but firmly believes the match-up will be an entirely different battle.
“Thiago Silva was incredibly significant for my development during my first year here,” Santos stated during a press conference.
“He means a lot to Chelsea and its supporters. However, in the semi-final, he is now my opponent, and we need to do everything we can to prepare against him.”
Fluminense is set to be a formidable challenge for Chelsea, having stayed undefeated in the tournament thus far, with decisive victories over both Inter Milan and Al Hilal on their path to the semi-finals.
This crucial match on Tuesday will mark the ninth occasion that English and Brazilian clubs have clashed in the FIFA Club World Cup, with both nations currently tied on four wins from the previous eight matches.
Notably, Chelsea has participated in half of these fixtures, boasting a record of two wins and two losses. Both of their victories came against Palmeiras, including their latest success over the Brazilian side in the quarter-finals this year.
With this context, the 21-year-old further asserts that he and his Chelsea teammates must elevate their performance once more to secure a place in the final.
“Tomorrow’s match is significant against a strong team. We must prepare thoroughly because it’s essential for us, being a semi-final, and we need to put in the hard work to be ready.”
“This tournament certainly holds great importance for us. We aim to win every competition we enter, but we recognise the need to improve against Fluminense as well. We’ll take things step by step.”
This will be Chelsea’s third encounter with a Brazilian team in this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, following their 3-1 loss to Flamengo in the group stages and a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in the semi-finals.
Remarkably, the Blues are the only team in this tournament to have faced three opponents from the same nation.
Conversely, Fluminense recorded just 42.7% possession against Al Hilal in the quarter-finals — the fourth time this tournament that they have kept possession below 50%.
This statistic makes them the only side left in the competition with a lower possession rate for the majority of their matches.
The winner of this showdown will advance to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final, slated for June 13.
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