Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Chelsea by 1Alright sports fans, fasten your seatbelts! We're buckling up for a riveting face-off between Chelsea and Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Now, let's dive into the nitty-gritty, shall we?
Looking at Chelsea first, the boys in blue possess quite a trio in Pedro Neto, quite a big shot, literally, with 3 goals and 4 shots on target. Josh Acheampong, the pass master himself with an astounding 94.5% pass accuracy. And last but never least, Cole Palmer; although goalless, he's had several near misses with 3 shots on goal. As for the keepers, Chelsea serves up a mean cocktail with Robert Sánchez boasting a 7.47 rating and 13 saves. And then we have our mystery man, Filip Jørgensen with a 6.70 rating but absolutely no saves.
Venturing south, Palmeiras showcases the defensive prowess of Richard Ríos and Joaquín Piquerez both in the 7.4 ratings range. Waiting down at the goal post is Weverton who's been doing a commendable job with 8 saves and a 6.93 rating, not terrible by any means.
Looking at tournament records, Chelsea's been a bit more up and down with a 2-0-1 showing, but they have to get a thumbs up for recent form. Seemingly tripping over win after win, a 4-1 victory over Benfica and a 3-0 rout of Espérance Tunis, we've witnessed a performance of magnitude.
Palmeiras, however, with a record sporting more draws than wins (1-2-0), have had a quieter tournament. A recent lackluster 0-0 tie with FC Porto but a decent 1-0 win over Botafogo, it's been more of a roller coaster than a rocket ride.
Based on all this, without a doubt, my money's sealed with a Chelsea blue ribbon. Tighter goalkeeping and a more aggressive front line tilt the scales their way.
Albert’s Prediction: Chelsea by 1