The city of brotherly love, where Enzo Maresca and his squad were based during the group stage before returning for this game, previously hosted the Blues’ group games against Flamengo and Esperance de Tunisie.

Friday’s temperature at the 67,600-capacity Lincoln Financial Field is expected to be around 24ºC for this 9pm local time kick-off (it is a 2am start in the UK). All matches in this tournament can be watched live via DAZN and you can sign up for free here.

Chelsea are aiming to reach a 19th semi-final in international tournaments since 1966 and have wonderful memories of the last time these two teams met. That was in the final of this competition's smaller-scale predecessor in 2022, a 2-1 win for the Londoners in Abu Dhabi.

Both sides needed extra time to reach this year’s last eight. The Blues were runaway 4-1 winners against Benfica after a two-hour delay for extreme weather. Sao Paulo-based Palmeiras beat Botafogo of Rio de Janeiro 1-0 in a tight all-Brazilian round-of-16 affair.

Should Chelsea, England’s last hope in this summer's Club World Cup, be victorious against Palmeiras, our semi-final opponents will be the winners of the match-up between the Saudi side that shocked Manchester City, Al Hilal, and Thiago Silva’s Fluminense, 2-0 conquerors of Inter Milan. Their game will take place in New Jersey on Tuesday 8 July at 8pm UK time.

The history

In the summer of 1929, Chelsea became the first professional English club ever to play in Sao Paulo, during a tour of South America. We faced a Paulista all-stars team hosting two games at Parque Antartica, historic home of Palmeiras (then known as Palestra Italia).

However, the two clubs’ only previous competitive meeting came in the final of the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi on 12 February 2022. Multiple trophy-winning coach Abel Ferreira was then only a year into his Palmeiras career.

After a goalless first half, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s enticing cross was met by Romelu Lukaku, who powered his header past Weverton for a 1-0 lead.

The Blues were skippered and inspired by Rio de Janeiro-born Thiago Silva, but it was his misfortune to be punished for hand contact with the ball while attempting a header clearance. With 25 minutes of normal time remaining, Raphael Veiga’s penalty sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way to level and the game went into extra time.

Tired as they were, the Blues attacked relentlessly, but Christian Pulisic hitting the woodwork was the nearest we came to a goal until fewer than 10 minutes remained before a shootout. The players all appealed for handball by Luan Garcia and, after a VAR-directed pitch-side review, the Australian referee awarded a penalty.

Kai Havertz was the third in line for spot-kick duty, but the only one left on the field, and scored from 12 yards to add to his collection of winning goals in significant finals. ‘It’s amazing,’ he smiled, ‘after champions of Europe, we are now champions of the world.’

Every major men’s trophy had now been claimed. The unique success allowed Chelsea fans to remind any opposition: ‘We’ve won it all’!

This is also a handy moment to show some love for 2012 Champions League campaign hero Ramires, who saw out his playing days with Palmeiras. One of the Sao Paulo club's finest head coaches, Luiz Felipe Scolari, delivered their first Copa Libertadores title in 1999, nine years before his seven-month spell at Stamford Bridge.

Know this...

A Chelsea side with 11 players has never lost a competitive game to a team from Brazil. Both our defeats, to Corinthians in the final of the 2012 Club World Cup and Flamengo in this year’s group stage, came after a Blues player was sent off.

With 11 players on the pitch, the Blues are undefeated in 13 matches against all comers across all competitions, stretching back to April.

Five of Chelsea’s 10 goals at this tournament have come from counter-attacks, two from set-plays and three from open play.

Prior to the 4-1 win over Benfica, the only occasion Chelsea had won a match by a margin of three goals after extra time was a 5-2 FA Cup round one replay at home to Swindon Town on 16 January 1915. The Pensioners went on to reach the final for the first time that season.

Pedro Neto is now Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer in Club World Cup tournaments.

Chelsea all-time goals at the Club World Cup

Pedro Neto - 3
Romelu Lukaku - 2
Tosin Adarabioyo - 1
Liam Delap - 1
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 1
Enzo Fernandez - 1
Tyrique George - 1
Kai Havertz - 1
Reece James - 1
Juan Mata -1
Christopher Nkunku - 1
Fernando Torres - 1
Own goal - 1

Club World Cup regulations

As usual, five substitutions are allowed per match, along with a sixth in extra time, plus concussion replacements.

Goal-line technology, VAR, a new 'advanced semi-automated offside' system alerting assistant referees to raise their flag immediately for clear offsides and referee bodycams are used in this competition.

Should any knockout tie be level when normal playing time expires, two 15-minute periods of extra time will be played, followed, if required, by a penalty shootout.

Players who accumulate two cautions must serve a one-match suspension. That is the fate of Moises Caicedo, as well as Palmeiras defenders Gustavo Gomez and Joaquin Piquerez, this weekend.

Chelsea also have six on one booking - Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Liam Delap, Reece James and Pedro Neto. Single yellow cards will be cancelled after this match.