The English premier league club came into the FIFA Club World Cup tourney as underdogs although they have had a good season in the EPL where they finished fourth after beating Nottingham Forest to finish in a UCL spot and also winning the first ever UEFA Conference league trophy against in-form Real Betis.

Chelsea Fc qualified to the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals after beating Palmeiras in the quarterfinals and many have tipped them for glory but Enzo Maresca has started playing mind games to keep him on the safer side. With a high possibility of facing Real Madrid or the current European champions Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca just like he mentioned in the English Premier League that they are not competing for the title has said the same thing about the CWC. “We are fortunate to have reached the semifinals, it’s a good time for us to prepare for the season ahead and see the strength of the players. They have done fantastic but there is no pressure on them to win the title” said Maresca.

Thiago Silva faces Chelsea for the first time after leaving for Fluminense. The CWC has brought Brazilian international and former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva to face his former club in the semifinal stage. After Fluminense beat Al Hilal to progress the champion defender had a couple of questions answered, “it will be special is we manage to eliminate Chelsea even with all the affection I have for them. We have to fight for our team. After the CWC I’ll go back to supporting Chelsea and PSG as always. I don’t know Maresca very well, but I know many of the players. I talk to some of them almost every week. Some are very close to me. I’ve been helping the coaching staff with small details, things that will stay between us.”

The game between the two sides was a special one as Chelsea signee, João Pedro is a product of Fluminense and stated in a post-match interview he needed to be professional as Chelsea are the ones paying him.

The game took everyone by surprise as Fluminense have been one of the teams to watch following their journey through the group stages.

João Pedro scored two for Chelsea against his former club to help his current team Chelsea secure a CWC final slot.

Chelsea now face European Champions Paris Saint-Germain who are on a form of their own on Sunday.