Chelsea sweating on Caicedo injury ahead of FIFA Club World Cup final
The highly successful FIFA Club World Cup will draw to a close soon, with Chelsea, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain set to be crowned champions on July 13.
The English Premier League club advanced to the final with a 2-0 win over Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in the CWC semi-final, with Joao Pedro scoring both goals for the victors, as he broke the hearts of his former club.
Making his first start since a £60 million transfer from Brighton, Pedro netted in the 18th and 56th minutes, to propel Chelsea into their first Club World Cup final since 2021, when they defeated Palmeiras in the Untied Arab Emirates in the final.
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Chelsea (2.75) is the second-favourite to win the tournament with online betting sites, behind PSG (2.50), who are chasing their first CWC crown and are a narrow favourite to defeat Real Madrid (3.25) in their semi-final.
Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo’s late ankle injury poses concerns for the upcoming final, although the club remains confident he will be fit to play.
Caicedo only returned to Chelsea’s starting line-up after missing the quarter final win against Palmeiras through suspension, looked to have injured his ankle during a tackle, and despite attempting to btattle on, ultimately came off injured.
Meanwhile, Trump Tower in New York City played host to many football dignitaries, with the FIFA Club World Cup Trophy visiting after its whirlwind tour of all 32 competing team’s home towns.
”We are here today in Trump Tower (and it’s) a great pleasure and great honour to not just unveil officially the (FIFA Club World Cup Trophy) in New York, but to tell everyone…that this trophy will be on display until the final…open for everyone, every fan of football or soccer,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a ceremony where he was joined on stage by Eric Trump and Brazilian football great Ronaldo.
Infantino said the event had been a roaring success and paid tribute to the host country.
“We brought fans from all over the world, 168 countries…Until now, over 2.26 million fans (have) visited the matches,” he said.
“The emotions and the passion, of the fans at the matches (and) of the players, have been truly, truly incredible. Players from 72 different countries played in the FIFA Club World Cup. Teams from all six continents scored at least one goal, won at least one point in the FIFA Club World Cup, which shows that football – or soccer – is global.”
