Former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has expressed that it would be a “special” achievement to knock his former team out of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Silva’s current team, Fluminense, is set to compete against Chelsea in the semi-finals today (Tuesday). Fluminense remains unbeaten in the tournament, having secured three wins and a draw in their last five matches. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be facing their third Brazilian opponent in the revamped tournament; they previously lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage and narrowly won against Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarter-finals. As they prepare for the semi-final clash, the 40-year-old Silva, who previously won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea in 2021, stated (via Tribuna): “It will be special if we can eliminate Chelsea, despite my fondness for them. But when we’re in the game, we have to fight for our team.” Following the Club World Cup, I will resume my support for Chelsea and PSG as usual.
