Liam Delap has been handed his first start as Chelsea name another strong line-up to face Flamengo in the Club World Cup this evening.
The Blues take on the Brazilian club in their second group game, having got their campaign up and running on Monday night with a 2-0 win over LAFC.
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The competition ramps up a notch against Flamengo, however, where Enzo Maresca’s side will come up against a familiar face in the form of ex-Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.
Chelsea will be expected to finish top of the group if they win, given Flamengo beat ES Tunis in their opener, so are the side pushing the Blues for top spot.
Mamadou Sarr, the 19-year-old centre-back, was on the bench for the opening game and could make his Chelsea debut either from the start or off the bench. He spent last season at sister club Strasbourg but joined the Blues permanently earlier this month.
Noni Madueke prefers playing on the right flank but filled in on the left against LAFC as Chelsea continue to work on signing a right-footed left-winger. The England international could again be deployed on the left.
Maresca is again expected to go strong with his selection. If he picked Liam Delap over Nicolas Jackson, that would represent the new £30million recruit’s first start for the Blues.
There could also be a debut in midfield for Andrey Santos, who was left on the bench against LAFC as Enzo Fernandez and Dario Essugo came on in that position.
Confirmed team news
Flamengo XI: Rossi, Wesley, Ayrton Lucas, Danilo, Leo Pereira, Jorginho, Gerson, Pulgar, de Arrascaeta, Plata, Luiz Araujo
Subs: Matheus Cunha, Alex Sandro, Varela, Vina, Leo Ortiz, Victor, Allan, Goncalves, Gustavo Fernandes, Everton, Bruno Henrique, Juninho, Pedro, Michael, Wallace
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Colwill, Chalobah, James, Gusto, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Delap, Palmer, Pedro Neto.
Subs: Jorgensen, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Sarr, Anselmino, Acheampong, Dewsbury-Hall, Lavia, Essugo, Santos, Nkunku, Madueke, Jackson, Guiu, George
Time and date: 7pm BST, Friday June 20, 2025
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States
TV channel: The match will be shown in the UK on Channel 5 and on DAZN
