Chelsea’s second pursuit of the gold badge of world champions begins in Abu Dhabi with a FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Asia representatives Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel is absent with Covid and has been motivating his players’ pursuit of a second trophy this season through all-hours texts, calls and video conferences with his staff.

This is the 18th instalment of the transcontinental tournament in its current format, contested by the champions of six confederations and a representative of the host nation. The Blues’ previous participation as Europe’s flag-bearers a decade ago in 2012 ended in a hurtful defeat by Corinthians of Brazil.

And if any team-mate still inclines to the traditional English view that this is a tournament no one cares about until they are in it, Thiago Silva will put them straight: the ‘Mundial de Clubes’ is a major deal in South America.Kenedy also has an axe to grind – his loan side Flamengo were beaten in the Copa Libertadores final by Palmeiras.

There is another pressing reason to approach the Club World Cup with great seriousness: this is the only men’s first team trophy that has eluded the club since the arrival of Roman Abramovich 19 years ago. Chelsea have not truly ‘won it all’ until we have our hands on this one.

Chelsea silverware since 2003

Premier League 5FA Cup 5League Cup 3Community Shield 2Champions League 2Europa League 2UEFA Super Cup 1Total 20One certainty is a new name etched on the trophy as none of the participants has this in their trophy cabinet. Like the Londoners, Al Hilal and Palmeiras are contesting the cup for the second time.

The winners of today’s match will contest Sunday’s showpiece at the same arena with Palmeiras of Brazil, while the losers face a third/fourth play-off across town the same day against Egypt’s Al Ahly, beaten 2-0 in the other semi-final yesterday.

Chelsea team news

Chelsea’s 23-man squad for this tournament does not include the still-recuperating Reece James or long-term absentee Ben Chilwell, but Edou Mendy is rejoining his team-mates after a game-changing performance in the Africa Cup of Nations final. The Senegal keeper may have to wait for involvement, though, especially after Kepa Arrizabalaga’s own match-winning penalty save against Plymouth.

Sometimes metalwork is a lesson. The Blues hit post or bar three times on Sunday among 41 attempts on the Pilgrims’ goal – 39 of them unsuccessful. Such prolificacy would be as unwelcome against continental champions as any domestic opponent, but not for the first time our full-backs had our back. James, Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta have contributed to 20+ goals across all competitions.

This is Thomas Tuchel’s maiden bid for the world title but he will start it back home in London after testing positive for Covid. The Bavarian’s tactical thoughts will no doubt continue to adapt in the warmth of Abu Dhabi, where his coaching staff are training the squad in temperatures around 70ºC. In five of the past seven games the Londoners have set up as a back four with a variety of formations higher upfield.

Thiago Silva resuming at centre-back on top of Trevoh Chalobah’s comfortable cameo at the weekend could hasten a return to a 3-4-3 formation against the Saudi champions, who in wide areas are strong upfront but, as Al Jazira’s early goal suggested, susceptible to runners at the back. Recalled left wing-back Kenedy was on the bench at the weekend.

It seems likely Hakim Ziyech will be invited to continue the good form that has produced three goals in his past five starts in all competitions, and Mason Mount has had two days’ training after a small injury at the weekend. Between them, the wide forwards sent 42 crosses into the visitors’ penalty area on Saturday. Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner will be pressing their case for more minutes to regain sharpness.

All rosy for Jardim

The winners of Asian Champions League have some familiar faces in their ranks, not least bustling forward Moussa Marega, who was in Porto’s quarter-final side beaten by the Blues on the way to claiming the European crown last season.

Like the 30-year-old Mali international, former Premier League players Odion Ighalo (ex-Watford and Man United striker), and number 10 Matheus Pereira (West Bromwich) were among the goals in the Riyadh club’s 6-1 demolition of host nation champions Al Jazira – a tournament record-equalling tally.

Pereira scored two and set up two as West Brom ended Thomas Tuchel’s undefeated start at Chelsea last year. Andre Carrillo has suffered three heavy defeats against the Blues with Sporting and Watford, but was part of the Hornets side that beat the Londoners 4-1 four years ago.

The Emiratis capitalised on some slack Hilal defending to open the scoring on Sunday but the speed, power and directness of Leonardo Jardim’s outfit eventually overran them.

Jardim, habitually linked to head coach vacancies in the Premier League during his title-winning spells at Monaco and Olympiacos, has masterminded four wins in eight meetings evenly split between Spurs and Arsenal. His teams also beat Birmingham and Manchester City.

The Portuguese succeeded Razvan Lucescu last summer and has not been able to replicate the form that made Al Hilal domestic champions. But in November he led them to the continental title that earned their second appearance in this tournament.

He favours the classic 4-2-3-1 with January arrival Ighalo (a replacement for leading goalscorer – and Chelsea supporter – Bafetimbi Gomis) as the target man. Al Hilal have powerful and willing runners on the flanks and a shrewd playmaker, Mohamed Kanno. They pass out from the back and work it forward quickly, but also have players who like to dribble, so tend to lose possession. Chelsea will aim to punish any lapses with more precision than was the case on Saturday.

How to watch Chelsea in the Club World Cup

All Chelsea matches in this competition will be covered live, free-to-air, in the UK by Channel 4, with our first match on E4 from 4pm. To find the relevant broadcaster where you are, see FIFA’s guide

Chelsea TV’s worldwide matchday shows – including early team news, exclusive interviews and analysis – are on this website and The 5th Stand app, and today include a live watch-a-long as well as live coverage of our Under-19s’ UEFA Youth League match from 2.15pm (UK time).

Club World Cup regulations

A maximum of 23 players can be named in the match day squad. Up to five substitutes can be selected from a bench of 12, with an additional replacement permitted should the game enter extra time. With Covid in mind, a fixture will go ahead as long as a club can name any 14 players, including a goalkeeper.

Video Assistant Referees (VARs) and goalline alerts will be used throughout the tournament. Chelsea will also become the first European club to trial new body-mapping technology, which has already verified several offside decisions in this tournament almost instantaneously.

If the score is level at the end of stoppage time in the second half, extra time will be played and, if necessary, penalty kicks will determine the outcome.

A player accruing two yellow cards will serve a one-match suspension (this will not apply to Chelsea who only play twice). A red card will mean suspension from the team’s next game.

The venue for this match, the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, was opened in 1980 and has a 37,500 capacity. A new hybrid pitch of 95 per cent natural grass was installed last month.

As Al Hilal wear royal blue, Chelsea will play in our yellow change strip.

Continental drift

The concept of finding the world’s best among continental champions has a surprisingly lengthy timeline, stretching back to the Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva in 1908 and Thomas Lipton trophy from 1909 to 1911.The prototype of today’s tournament, though, is the Pequena Copa del Mundo, staged in Caracas, Venezuela, between 1957 and 1975 and featuring European and South American challengers.

Its successor was the Intercontinental Cup, which ran from 1960 to 2004, latterly as the Toyota Cup. That one-off format merged with the tournament-style FIFA Club World Championship from 2005, the current name coming the following year.

We have history

Chelsea are one of three clubs in this Club World Cup who also contested the 2012 edition in Japan. The others, African champions Al Ahly of Egypt and Mexico’s Monterrey, who comprised the Londoners’ first opponents in the semi-final 10 years ago, are both already out.

Cesar Azpilicueta, the Blues’ only veteran from the previous excursion, just three weeks into Rafael Benitez’s spell as interim coach, started against the Mexicans and enjoyed a comfortable debut victory with teenagers Lucas Piazon and George Saville on the bench.

Juan Mata slammed in the Londoners’ early opener after slick interplay and after the break Fernando Torres scored a deflected second, his 12th of the season. Darvin Chavez bundled Mata’s cross over his own goalline for a third but Aldo de Nigris fired a late consolation for the Mexicans.

Five alive in February

Chelsea will play in an English record five different competitions over 23 days this month (of which this is the second), beating Liverpool’s five in 27 days set in December 2019/January 2020.

The Blues will take part in six different campaigns in 2021/22. With the Super Cup already in the bag we can claim two more trophies before March arrives.

The most contested in one season was in 2012/13 when we were on a quest for eight pieces of silver: Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, League Cup, World Club Cup, Community Shield and Super Cup. Had we beaten Swansea in the League Cup semi-final, February 2013 would have featured four separate challenges.

Club World Cup Results/Fixtures

First round3 Feb Al Jazira 4-1 AS Pirae

Second round5 Feb Al Ahly 1-0 Monterrey6 Feb Al Hilal 6-1 Al Jazira

Semi-finals8 Feb Palmeiras 2-0 Al Ahly9 Feb Al Hilal v Chelsea 4.30pm UK time (E4)

5th/6th place play-off9 Feb Monterrey v Al Jazira 1.30pm UK time

3rd/4th place play-off12 Feb Al Ahly v tbc 1pm UK time (E4 if Chelsea)

Final12 Feb Palmeiras v tbc 4.30pm UK time (Channel 4 if Chelsea)