Chelsea hit with triple selection blow before Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense

Chelsea's 2-1 Club World Cup quarter-final win over Palmeiras on Friday came at quite the cost, as Enzo Maresca has been dealt no fewer than three selection concerns before their semi-final with Fluminense.

The Blues' quest for global glory continued with a hard-fought triumph over the Brazilian giants, who fell behind in the first half thanks to a well-worked Cole Palmer finish into the bottom corner.

Maresca's men were powerless to prevent Chelsea-bound Estevao Willian levelling the scores in exceptional fashion, though, as the future Blue rifled in a near-post finish via the crossbar in the second 45.

However, there was to be one final cruel twist to the tale for the South Americans, as Malo Gusto's deflected cross deceived Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton, whose own goal sent Chelsea through to the last four.

The Conference League winners will now scrap with Thiago Silva's Fluminense on Tuesday for the right to face either Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in a blockbuster final.

Chelsea duo to miss Club World Cup semi-final through suspension

Maresca must work around the absences of at least two and potentially as many as three players next week, though, as Liam Delap and Levi Colwill will both miss the showdown due to suspension.

The two Englishmen picked up their second yellow cards of the competition against Palmeiras, and only single yellow cards that do not trigger an automatic ban are wiped after the quarter-final stage.

Delap was cautioned near the end of the first half for a foul on Richard Rios, while Colwill entered the referee's book for dissent towards the end of the match and joins his compatriot on the naughty step.

While Delap and Colwill are definite absentees for the semi-final, captain Reece James has emerged as a doubt, having had to withdraw from the starting lineup for the triumph over Palmeiras.

Maresca confirmed at full time that James picked up an injury in the warm-up to the game, although it is still not known how severe the right-back's latest issue is.

How can Chelsea replace James, Delap, Colwill?

If James is unable to shake off his issue in time for the battle with Fluminense, expect Gusto to bomb down the right-hand side again, although Josh Acheampong is an alternative option.

Acheampong is not a complete stranger to playing centrally either and could therefore come into the thinking to step in for Colwill, but Tosin Adarabioyo is far likelier to get the nod over the teenager, Aaron Anselmino and Mamadou Sarr for that role.

Meanwhile, Delap's ban has opened the door for Joao Pedro to potentially make his full debut for Chelsea; the Brazilian replaced his English colleague on the 54-minute mark in the quarter-final.

Pedro will have to fend off intense competition from Nicolas Jackson to lead the Chelsea line, though, while Marc Guiu can also fill in up front but is far down the pecking order.

Prior to Chelsea's success, Fluminense reached the final four with a 2-1 win over Saudi Pro League heavyweights Al-Hilal, a game in which 40-year-old Silva played the full 90 minutes.

Written by
Ben Knapton