Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca tempered expectations prior to the quarterfinals of Friday FIFA Club World Cup against Palmeiras, which states that 'football is full of surprises'.
The Premier League side secured their place in this phase by beating the Portuguese giants Benfica, while the team of Abel Ferreira Brazilian rivals Botafogo overcame to continue.
In fact, this crucial confrontation at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will mark the second meeting between the two teams, with the blues after extra time having 2-1 with 2-1 in the FIFA Club World Cup final of 2021.
Chelsea can be the favorites of the Bookmakers to reach the semi -final, stimulated by their recent Europa Conference League glory and a team full of talent. Yet the Italian tactician remains grounded.
“You are always to play games to win games because football is full of surprises, especially in this competition,” Maresca told the media.
“You can see teams that beat other teams that everyone expected to win. Football is not about expectations, it's about what you do in the field.
“We respect Palmeiras, we know how good they are defensive, the organization they have, the way they want to print, the way they are aggressive, their transition.
“They have quality players. Estevao is one of them, (Richard) Rios is another. They have different types of players, but they are very good. And the best thing is that you can clearly see the identity they have.”
Chelsea are the big favorites against Palmeirasstatform
The Londoners started the tournament with a confident 2-0 win over Lafc, to be overwhelmed by a 3-1 defeat against Brazilian Giants Flamengo in their next outing.
Now, with another Brazilian powerhouse waiting for them, Maresca has not forgotten the hard lessons of that setback.
“We definitely try to learn, not just against Flamengo, we try to learn every game we play,” the 45-year-old continued.
“The latter was against Benfica, we did something good, we could do something better. The Flamengo game, I said, has often been the only time during this season that we play in a new structure, in a new system, because we also think about different solutions, we also think of the future.
“But certainly, Flamengo is a very good team. Palmeiras are a very good team in the same way and Fluminense is doing very well.
“For me it is no surprise, because I really admire Brazilian football, because I love players with quality.”
When asked whether Brazilian football could get more recognition in Europe after the tournament, Maresca was quickly expressing his admiration and said that he did not need the Club World Cup to appreciate the quality of Brazilian football, because his respect for that is already well established.
He added: “We always respect Brazilian football. We don't need this tournament to respect Brazilian football.
“At least I respect personally, I always respect Brazilian football because it is one of the best countries, or the best country in the world in terms of quality, in terms of football. So I really respect Brazil.
“I don't need this competition to respect Brazilian football. They show every match here in this competition how good they are. And they also continue after this competition.”
At the start of the tournament, Maresca expressed his concern about the planning of the World Cup, but his perspective seems to have shifted as the competition is demanded.
He stated: “This competition is especially for Palmeiras and also for us. Since we started, I said we are happy to be here.
“We are grateful that we are here, but at the same time I said more things. And the reason why we like to win against Benfica is because we work every day, not just to have fun.
“We work every day to win games. So the reason why we are happy is because we are here at the end. And hopefully we can continue and we can beat Palmeiras.”