It doesn’t get any more American than being in Philadelphia, PA, USA on the Fourth of July. Philadelphia is where America was “born,” with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. The document declaring independence from Great Britain 249 years ago created America’s “birthday,” so you got to love the coincidence/natural imagery of a team from London, England playing a Club World Cup knockout round clash on this exact day, in this specific city. We’ll see how that affects Chelsea FC, as the storylines just write themselves here. As for Chelsea’s opponent here, Palmeiras, they hail from Sau Paulo, Brazil.
Their home city has no real historical connection to the American Revolutionary War.
Chelsea FC vs Palmeiras FYIs
Kickoff: Fri July 4, 9pm EST, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Format: Club World Cup Quarterfinal
Chelsea FC Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Watch: DAZN is streaming all of the matches for free
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So enjoy the patriotic fireworks shows everyone. In terms of the actual formation and first team for this match, we expect to see summer signing Liam Delap starting up top again here. Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto will have first team assignments in attack to be sure.
With Moises Caicedo suspended, the defensive midfield picks itself in Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez. Maybe Reece James comes up to join them in the middle of the park? If so, does Malo Gusto then slot in at James’ usual position of right back?
Chelsea are strongly favored here, but just ask Manchester City how valuable being favored is.
Chelsea FC Starting Lineup Prediction vs Palmeiras (Club World Cup Quarterfinal)
Robert Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez; Reece James, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto; Liam Delap
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter