Palmeiras vs Chelsea predictions, tips and Bet Builder: Maresca's men may prove too strong

Where to watch Palmeiras vs Chelsea

You can watch Palmeiras vs Chelsea in the Club World Cup at 2am on Saturday, July 5th, live on DAZN.

Palmeiras vs Chelsea prediction & best bet

Chelsea
2pts 21-20 general

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Get £30 In Free Bets When You Place Any Bet

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

New customers only. First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 X £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.

Palmeiras vs Chelsea odds

Here are the latest odds ahead of Palmeiras vs Chelsea in the Club World Cup

Odds correct at time of publishing

Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport's tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.

Palmeiras vs Chelsea predictions

Chelsea suffered a blip in  the group stage of the Club World Cup when they were beaten 3-1 by Flamengo, but that defeat may have worked in their favour as they have landed a winnable quarter-final against another Brazilian side in Palmeiras.

Missing out on top spot in Group D meant the Blues sidestepped a potential round-of-16 clash against Bayern Munich and took a place in the less demanding top half of the draw.

Enzo Maresca's side are still searching for peak performance but showed improvement In Saturday's 4-1 extra-time triumph over Benfica, which was disrupted by a two hour delay towards the end of the second half.

Chelsea were cruising to a rather uneventful 1-0 success over the Portuguese side until the 86th minute when they were taken off the pitch due to thunderstorm warnings.

And the break worked against them when the action restarted and Benfica scored with their first attempt on target.

Chelsea's mentality was tested but they responded superbly in extra-time and got the result they fully deserved.

A negative aspect of the evening was a second yellow card of the tournament for Moises Caicedo, triggering a one-game ban for the Ecuadorean midfielder.

Caicedo was one of Chelsea's best players against Benfica and his absence could trigger a change of shape, with Enzo Fernandez asked to sit deeper and Noni Madueke possibly making his third start of the tournament.

The reshuffle isn't ideal but Chelsea have plenty of strength in depth and should have a more settled look than their opponents, who are expected to be missing three of their first-choice back four.

Palmeiras lost centre-back Murilo to injury in the first half of their 2-2 group stage draw with Inter Miami and they must take on Chelsea without suspended captain Gustavo Gomez and left back Joaquin Piquerez, who were among players carded during last weekend's bad-tempered 1-0 triumph over domestic rivals Botafogo in the round of 16.

Disruptions to the defensive line are a blow for head coach Abel Fernando, who has been setting his team up to be hard to play against.

Fernando will do his best to come up with a plan and perhaps hope for a moment of magic from 18-year-old Chelsea-bound attacker Estevao, who would love to shine against his future teammates.

However, Estevao has had a quiet tournament and a bigger danger could come from attacking midfielder Mauricio, who has posted nine attempts on goal.

Chelsea will need to stay focused, but they carry the greater threat and should progress without needing another bout of extra-time.

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Get £30 In Free Bets When You Place Any Bet

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

New customers only. First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 X £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.

Key stat

Chelsea have won ten of their last 13 matches in 90 minutes.

Palmeiras vs Chelsea team news and predicted line-ups

Palmeiras

Gustavo Gomez and Joaquin Piquerez are suspended but Estevao is expected to start against the team he is joining later this summer. Murilo is a major doubt after missing the round-of-16 success over Botafogo.

Starting line-up (4-3-3): Weverton; Giay, Micael, Bruno Fuchs, Vanderlan; Rios, Martinez, Mauricio; Allan, Vitor Roque, Estevao.

Chelsea

Joao Pedro could be in the squad but is unlikely to start. Nicolas Jackson is available after suspension but Benoit Badiashile was forced off against Benfica and is set to miss out. Moises Caicedo serves a one-game ban.

Starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Get £30 In Free Bets When You Place Any Bet

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

New customers only. First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 X £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.

Palmeiras vs Chelsea bet builder predictions

Under 3.5 goals

Palmeiras have been involved in a lot of tight games and their clash with Chelsea could produce another low-scoring outcome.

Pedro Neto to score at any time

Neto has led the charge for Chelsea, scoring three goals from seven shots, and has every chance of continuing his purple patch.

Richard Rios to be carded

The Colombian midfielder has committed ten fouls at the Club World Cup, the joint-highest among players left in the tournament, and looks a strong candidate to be booked against the Blues.

Pays out at 16-1 with Paddy Power

Read more . . .

British Grand Prix betting tips, odds and predictions: Russell worth an early interest 

2025 Women's Euros outright predictions: Lionesses look set for successful title defence 

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.