It’s been nearly ten years since the last time a non-European side won the Clubs World Cup. That was in 2012, when Corinthians beat Chelsea 1-0 in Yokohama.
Now the Blues are back to the tournament next month, and as usual, the Brazilian media has been making big noise about the competition.
This time it’s Palmeiras who won the Copa Libertadores and are going to United Arab Emirates. They’re Corinthians’ biggest rivals, and may have the chance of proving themselves against Chelsea as well.
So when interviewing Thiago Silva at the Blues’ match against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, ESPN Brasil asked the defender about the tournament and how serious the London side are taking it.
“We have great ambitions. We always think about winning. It’s no use talking to us that we’re going to play to lose. Nobody plays to lose. We don’t like to lose in odds and evens, imagine if it’s a Club World Cup,” Thiago Silva told ESPN Brasil (via UOL).
Thiago Silva admitted that the Club World Cup isn’t as important for European sides as it is for South Americans, but made it clear that there’s a big wish to win it this time.
“Of course, when it comes to Brazil and Europe, they give much more value there. But I’m Brazilian, so I’m going to motivate my players a lot for this confrontation.”
“You can be sure that Chelsea will come strong, prepared, and I hope that the people can be successful, so much so that in the last Clubs World Cup they didn’t have it against Corinthians. Let it be different now.”
Chelsea and Palmeiras both start the tournament from the semifinals, which take place on the 8th and 9th of February. The final will be played in Abu Dhabi on the 12th.
