Chelsea opponent outlook: Getting to know Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras

Chelsea looked like a team playing with the odds stacked against it on Wednesday. The Blues were just a few days removed from a 120-minute struggle against Plymouth. Between that FA Cup game and the semifinal, they had to fly halfway across the globe to the United Arab Emirates and prepare for a team who’d been settled in the region for some time due to their previous fixtures. They also had to do this without their manager, who remained back in London in isolation after testing positive for COVID-10. Chelsea was able to overcome the odds thanks to a Romelu Lukaku tap-in goal, which saw it defeat AFC Champions League winner Al Hilal by a score of 1-0.

This win catapulted the Blues into the final of the FIFA Club World Cup. One decade removed from a heartbreaking defeat to Corinthians in the same game, Chelsea will get a chance to redeem itself (even though Cesar Azpilicueta was the only active player present in Yokohama a decade ago) against one of the Brazilian side’s biggest rivals. The Blues will take on Palmeiras on Saturday for all of the marbles. If they win, it’ll be their first Club World Cup trophy in their storied history. As fans learned midweek though, each team in this tournament poses its own unique challenges.

Here is a little more about Chelsea’s Club World Cup final opponent, Palmeiras:

1. Who is Palmeiras?

Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras—more commonly known as simply Palmeiras—is one of Brazil’s most popular clubs. It was founded by a group Italian immigrants in the South American country on August 26, 1914, originally as Palestra Italia. The club continued to proudly celebrate its roots in its name until late 1942 when Brazil joined World War II on the Allied side. This pitted it against the Axis powers, which comprised mainly of Germany, Italy and Japan. The Brazilian government did not want its football clubs to associate with enemy and demanded change.

The name Palmeiras has remained in place since Brazil’s entrance into the war, but the club has continued to celebrate its Italian roots and appeal to Italian supporters in the decades since. One constant that has remained has been the club’s identifiable dark green jerseys. The Alviverde (the club’s nickname, meaning white-green) compete in numerous different sports as a club, which makes them unique in that aspect.

In addition to having the most interesting backstory in South America, Palmeiras ranks amongst the most successful clubs on the continent. The Alviverde are the winningest team in their own country by some margin, which houses household names in the world of football such as Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fluminense, Santos and Sao Paulo—to name a few. Domestically, they have won 10 Brazilian top flight titles (a record), four Copa do Brasil trophies and a Copa dos Campeoes. Palmeiras has also found success by winning 23 Campeonato Paulistas, which are state championships within Sao Paulo, and five interstate awards. It may not have triple digit trophies like Al Hilal, but it goes without saying the Brazilian top flight is significantly more competitive than the Saudi Professional League and its complementary competitions.

Internationally, the Alviverde are no strangers to success. Their 1951 Copa Rio title dates them just a bit, it also acts as a reminder that European giants—in this case, Juventus—are not invincible. This is something Chelsea unfortunately knows all too well. The niche 20th century trophy isn’t the only one held by Palmeiras either. It has also won the Copa Libertadores three times (1999, 2020 and 2021) and the 1998 Copa Mercosul. The Alviverde are obviously hungry to add the FIFA Club World Cup to that list; they have the chance on Saturday against the Blues.