Chelsea beware! Jubilant Palmeiras fans gather in their hundreds to give the Copa Libertadores champions a buoyant send-off on their way to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup… where they could lock horns with Champions League winners in the final
- Palmeiras received a big send-off from their fans en route to the Club World Cup
- The Brazilian team’s bus was swarmed by supporters as they left for the airport
- They qualified for the event out in Abu Dhabi by winning the Copa Libertadores
- European champions Chelsea and five other confederation winners are involved
Jubilant Palmeiras fans gathered outside the club’s training ground to give their side a buoyant send-off on their way to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup.
Palmeiras qualified for the annual tournament, which pits the champions of the six different FIFA confederations against each other, by winning South America’s Copa Libertadores competition last season.
As well as the Brazilian club, European champions Chelsea, Asian champions Al Hilal, African champions Al Ahly, Oceania champions AS Pirae, United Arab Emirates champions Al Jazira and Monterrey, who won the CONCACAF Champions League, are competing in the event.
Palmeiras fans gave their side a buoyant send-off en route to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup
The Brazilian team emerged from their training ground to find a sea of green shirts and flares
Palmeiras, who won last year’s Copa Libertadores, are making their second appearance
But none of those sides received a rapturous send-off quite like Palmeiras, who saw hundreds of supporters swarm their team bus as they left for the airport on Wednesday.
Abel Ferreira’s side emerged from the gates of their training complex to find a sea of green shirts, scarves, flags and flares waving them off to Abu Dhabi for their second appearance in the Club World Cup.
They entered the tournament for the very first time last year by winning the 2020 Copa Libertadores, only to be dumped out in the semi-finals by Mexican club Tigres.
This time around Palmeiras will be hoping to go one better and reach the final, where they could potentially meet UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea.
The South American champions’ fans are hoping to see their side reach the final this year
Abel Ferreira’s men are set to play in the semi-finals out in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday
They are still waiting to discover which other confederation winner they will meet in the semis
Should they be dumped out in the last four, Palmeiras will contest a third-place playoff
Both clubs are waiting to discover their semi-final opponents; with Palmeiras set to play their last-four tie on Tuesday, 24 hours before the Blues battle it out for a place in next Saturday’s showpiece.
Al Jazira and Pirae are due to get the tournament up and running on Thursday night, when they will aim to set up a second-round clash with Al Hilal.
Al Ahly and Monterrey will contest the other second-round tie, with both fixtures taking place this weekend.
As well as the final, which goes ahead at 4:30pm GMT on Saturday 12 February, a third-place playoff will be held at 1:00pm GMT on the same day, while there is also a fifth-place playoff in store next Wednesday.