Palmer had six shots in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over LAFC in their opening game of the Club World Cup. He wasn’t able to find the target on that occasion but such a high shot volume is promising when looking at backing Palmer to have a shot on target here.

Palmer had 51 shots on target across his 37 Premier League appearances during the 24/25 season (1.44 per 90), no Chelsea player averaged more shots on target per 90 than Palmer during the 24/25 Premier League season - Palmer also topped the Chelsea ranks when it came to shots (3.55 per 90), further highlighting his strong shot numbers over the course of a season.

Chelsea posted strong underlying attacking metrics during the 24/25 campaign, averaging 5.7 shots on target per game during the 24/25 Premier League season. Only Manchester City and Liverpool found the target more regularly than Chelsea during the domestic campaign. Chelsea had six shots on target in their opening game of the tournament against LAFC. 

Colwill managed to win all four of his duels in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over LAFC in their opening game of the Club World Cup, but he should be more regularly tested here by Pedro, who led the line for Flamengo in their opening game against Esperance Tunis.

Pedro has won eight fouls across just 306 minutes in the Brazilian Serie A this season (2.35 per 90), and also averaged 1.46 fouls won per 90 over a much larger sample size in the 2024 campaign. 

Colwill committed 45 fouls across his 35 appearances during the 24/25 Premier League season (1.29 per 90), a record which puts him in the 89th percentile of centre backs in the Premier League when it comes to committing fouls. Colwill also picked up nine yellow cards during the 24/25 season, further underscoring his aggressive nature in matches. 

Chelsea can be quite an aggressive and petulant side which is an aspect of their game which was evident in their opening game of the Club World Cup against LAFC. Chelsea committed 11 fouls and picked up three yellow cards on that occasion, suggesting that Enzo Maresca still has work to do to make his side calmer in games.

Chelsea were shown 99 yellow cards during the 24/25 Premier League season, more than any other side in the division. This works out at 2.60 cards per game which is a high total to maintain throughout the season, it is also the second season running that Chelsea have topped this metric in the Premier League despite a change in manager in that time.

Fernandez remains generously priced to score or assist, especially given his change in role under Enzo Maresca and his strong end to the season. During the 24/25 Premier League campaign, he contributed 22 goals and assists for Chelsea, more than double his tally from the 23/24 season (10), highlighting his growing influence in the final third.  

His impact was also evident in the Conference League, where he registered 1.06 shots on target per 90 across six appearances. Fernandez opened his account in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over LAFC in this tournament, arriving late in the box to convert an excellent cross from Liam Delap. This type of attacking movement has become a recurring feature of his game under Maresca, who has deployed him in a more advanced role compared to the varied duties he was assigned under Mauricio Pochettino.  

With his increased involvement in goalscoring opportunities and Maresca’s trust in him as an attacking threat, Fernandez presents strong value to score or assist moving forward.

Enzo Fernandez received eight yellow cards during the 24/25 Premier League season, only Levi Colwill (nine) and Moises Caicedo (11) picked up more yellow cards than Fernandez during the regular season.

Fernandez can overstep the mark at times with his aggression, he averaged 1.59 fouls committed per 90 across his 36 appearances in the Premier League during the 24/25 campaign so there is plenty of scope for Fernandez to catch the eye of the referee, in what should be Chelsea’s most challenging game in the group.

Chelsea picked up 99 yellow cards during the 24/25 Premier League season (2.60 per game), more than any other side in the division. They’ve started the tournament in the same vein, picking up three yellow cards in their opening game against LAFC.

Chelsea looked a little lethargic and vulnerable at times against LAFC. The MLS and South American sides have a slight advantage in this tournament when it comes to match fitness, as they are in the middle of their regular season, Chelsea’s lack of match fitness was evident in the final 10 minutes of their game against LAFC.

Chelsea allowed LAFC to register three big chances, which would have been more severely punished by a better side. Flamengo are Chelsea’s biggest competition in the group, headed up by former Blue Filipe Luis. They have only lost one of their last 16 matches across all competitions.

Flamengo put two goals past Esperance in their opening game of the Club World Cup and have managed to find the back of the net in each of their last five matches across all competitions.