The Blues face the champions of Saudi Arabia at Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi with Palmeiras waiting in Saturday’s final
Hello and welcome to football.london’s live coverage of Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final against Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, from the Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi.
With Thomas Tuchel at home following a positive Covid-19 test, his team of trusty lieutenants will be in constant contact via phone.
And there are two key selection decisions to be made ahead of gametime with Edouard Mendy’s ability to play being weighed up after joining the team this morning following Senegeal’s Africa Cup of Nations win at the weekend and Mason Mount looking to recover from a knock sustained in the FA Cup win over Plymouth at the weekend.
South American giants Palmeiras await in Saturday’s final after their win over Al Ahly last night.
Kick-off is 8:30pm local time, which is 4:30pm in London. It is being broadcast live on E4 but you can follow all the meaningful action below with chief football writer Alan Smith, who is at the ground, and Chelsea correspondent Adam Newson.
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Chelsea kick-off their Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday as they clash with Saudi outfit Al-Hilal.
The Blues square off with Leonardo Jardim’s men at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium today’s afternoon in an attempt to tee-up a final meeting with Brazilian club Palmeiras.
It is the second time that the west Londoners have been at the tournament in their history – with their last appearance ending in defeat in the final back in 2013.
It goes without saying then that Chelsea will certainly be keen to add another trophy to the ever-growing collection that they seem to be developing under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel.
Despite that, the German won’t be able to be present in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday having tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the Blues’ departure.
Regardless of his absence, the Blues will certainly be keeping their sights set on victory without him and have been billed as pre-tournament favorites.
“We know we’re a good team and play a very good game but Al Hilal are very good, with an experienced coach from some big clubs like Monaco. We know him very well.
“He’s a very good coach, a very good team. We take the role as favourite but for sure it can be a difficult game tomorrow.”
With that being said, here is the full Chelsea squad available to the west Londoners ahead of kick-off.
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr
Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Saul Niguez, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Kenedy, Kai Havertz