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The players are doing their individual walk-ons, with an overexcited stadium announcer doing his thing. ENZOOOO FERNÁNDEZ!
I was a little thrown by the presence of Matheus Cunha on Flamengo’s bench. No, it’s not that one. And we’ve got two former Manchester United players on the DAZN coverage in Kléberson and John Obi Mikel. Sort of.
“I just don’t like the smelly planes. That’s why I wear a mask. When I travel I don’t like the smells so that’s why I wear them.”
Alas, not a nod from Cole Palmer to the opening scene of The Dark Knight Rises.
The teams
Jorginho, key in helping Chelsea get here – he was in the middle of the park when they won the Champions League – starts for Flamengo. They’re managed by the former Blues left-back Filipe Luís.
Flamengo: Rossi, Wesley, Danilo, Pereira, Lucas, Erick, Jorginho, De Arrascaeta, Gerson, Araújo, Plata
Subs: Cunha, Varela, Ortiz, João Victor, Alex Sandro, Viña, Pedro, Evertton Araujo, Allan, Matheus Gonçalves, Cebolinha, Juninho, Bruno Henrique, Michael, Wallace Yan
Chelsea: Sánchez, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernández, Palmer, Neto, Gusto, Delap
Subs: Jørgensen, Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Sarr, Anselmino, Essugo, Lavia, Andrey Santos, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, George, Nkunku, Jackson, Guiu
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to another day at this somewhat dystopian tournament, one of empty seats, unbearable heat and Donald Trump acting like Donald Trump. So as we approach the end of the universe, here’s Flamengo versus Chelsea!
The 2022 Copa Libertadores champions meet the 2021 Champions League winners, both sides triumphing 2-0 in their opening contests. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández were the goalscorers for Chelsea against Los Angeles FC though it was Liam Delap’s assist that made the headline – he make his first start for the club today. Kick-off’s at 7pm BST, 2pm EDT. It’s absolutely roasting in Philadelphia.
