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Chelsea stars sound off on mindset and Fluminense threat ahead of crucial FIFA Club World Cup semi-final
Chelsea step into tonight’s FIFA Club World Cup semi-final carrying the immense weight of expectations. Everyone at the club understands the magnitude of what's at stake, with Fluminense standing between them and what would undoubtedly be an incredible final against PSG or Real Madrid.
The Blues understand the threat that players like Jhon Arias, Hercules, and Thiago Silva pose to their hopes of advancing, but Chelsea are locked in and believes they have what it takes to win.
Here is a collection of quotes from the Londoners ahead of their semi-final clash against the Brazilians.
Cole Palmer on his form
"I’ve had a difficult time these past few months on and off the pitch," the England star said after helping Chelsea book their place in the semi-finals with a goal against Palmeiras.
"The trolls and whatever, I don’t pay any attention to that," he continued. "I’ve got to keep improving and try to reach new levels.”
Moises Caicedo discusses the Fluminense threat
“They are strong both in defence and in attack with experienced players, like Thiago Silva, and up front with [German] Cano and [Jhon] Arias as well,” said the Ecuadorian, who was suspended for the quarter-final against Palmeiras and is available for selection today. “They are very strong players that do a lot of damage going forward. We’ll have to be focused on that.
“These games are won with character more than quality. We know the two teams have quality, but you have to show more character in these matches to win them.”
For more from Caicedo and the full story, head over to the article here.
Marc Cucarella praises Thiago Silva and reveals message exchange
The Chelsea defender had high praise for the ex-Chelsea star and Fluminense captain.
“He’s a legend of football, a top player. He’s only played for big clubs."
Cucarella also shared details of a text exchange between him and Silva.
"He texted me before the [Palmeiras] game saying ‘let’s go, hopefully we can see you in a couple of days.'
“I texted him saying ‘let’s go’. We have the opportunity to play against him again, and hopefully we can do good things and win this game and play in the final."
Malo Gusto lauds Chelsea’s mental edge
“During this tournament, mental strength has been the most important thing, and that’s why we are happy to be in the semi-final. We’ve shown that on the pitch in all the games we’ve had,” the Frenchman told the Chelsea website.
The Blues have already met Flamengo and Palmeiras in the tournament, and Gusto respected what he saw: “The Brazilian teams are doing very good during this competition. We will play against another one in the semi-finals, so we just need to be ourselves, dig deep, and try to win.
“It’s not enough yet, we still have a semi-final to play, to try to get to the final and try to win this trophy. Now we just have to believe in ourselves and to give our best.”
Enzo Maresca on preparations for Fluminense
"They have many experienced players, players with quality, so we need to pay attention and be careful of many different things," Maresca admitted.
"It will be the third Brazilian team we’re going to face. The first two were very good, with lots of energy, and we don’t have any doubts it’s going to be exactly the same."
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