Players from Chelsea FC acknowledge fans following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles Football Club (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - After kicking off their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory against MLS side Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Chelsea will be looking to make it five wins on the bounce as they face Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday. It’s a match that will likely determine which team wins Group D, with Flamengo having beaten Tunisian heavyweights Espérance Sportive de Tunis 2-0 in their opening match.
Chelsea fans will encounter a number of familiar faces on Flamengo, including new midfield acquisition Jorginho, who played for Chelsea from 2018 to 2023, and manager Filipe Luís, who had a stint at the club between 2014 and 2015. But they’ll likely see several new faces on their own team as well. Dário Essugo and Liam Delap made their Chelsea debuts on Monday after coming off the bench against LAFC, while Andrey Santos and Aaron Anselmino are awaiting their first appearances after remaining on the bench for the opener.
Andrey’s Journey Back to Chelsea
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Andrey developed at Vasco da Gama’s academy before joining Chelsea in January 2023 for €12.5 million. He was loaned back to Vasco for the rest of the campaign before heading to Premier League side Nottingham Forest in summer 2023—a loan that was cut short midway through the season. The Brazilian midfielder then moved to Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg in February 2024, where he impressed enough to have his loan extended.
Andrey emerged as one of the revelations of the 2023-24 season, scoring 12 goals and notching five assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit. Now 21, he’s aiming to break into Chelsea’s first team under manager Enzo Maresca.
“When I joined Chelsea, I was 18,” Andrey told RG. “Now at 21, I think I feel more prepared and ready. We can definitely say that I arrived at Chelsea a boy, and now I’m a man.”
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Midfield Battles and Breakout Potential
Breaking into a star-studded midfield that includes Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia and World Cup winner Enzo Fernández will be no easy task. Another player vying for a spot is Dário Essugo. Before he had even played for the juniors, under-23s or the reserves, Essugo made his debut for boyhood club Sporting on March 20, 2021, becoming the youngest debutant in club history at 16 years and 6 days old. Nine months later, he became the youngest Portuguese player to debut in the UEFA Champions League, and three months after that, Sporting’s youngest-ever starter.
In search of regular playing time, Essugo was loaned out to Chaves in January 2024, where he suffered relegation. He was then loaned to LaLiga side Las Palmas that summer. Despite being initially registered with the reserves, he became a breakout sensation in Spain’s top flight. Chelsea signed him and Sporting teammate Geovany Quenda for a combined £62.4 million, though Quenda will remain at Sporting for another season. Essugo, meanwhile, is aiming to leave his mark in West London.
“I know that I wasn’t playing much at Sporting, but my talent was always recognized,” Essugo told RG.
“Sporting always believed in me, but life has these things. Today, I’m here, and I want to assert myself. There’s no pressure.”
Delap’s Rise and the No. 9 Dilemma
Alongside Essugo and Santos, another fresh face looking to make his mark in the City of Brotherly Love is Liam Delap. The son of former Stoke City footballer Rory Delap, Liam came up through Derby County and Manchester City’s youth ranks before gaining experience on loan in England’s lower leagues with Stoke, Preston North End and Hull City.
His breakout came after joining Ipswich Town in summer 2024 for a fee rising to £20 million. While Ipswich were unable to avoid relegation in their first Premier League season in 25 years, Delap still recorded 12 goals and two assists in 37 appearances. His performances sparked a bidding war, and Chelsea eventually signed him on a six-year deal for £30 million.
After assisting Enzo Fernández’s goal against LAFC, Delap could be in line for his full Chelsea debut against Flamengo. The question remains: Will he compete with Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson for the starting No. 9 role, or could they form a strike duo?
Stay tuned for what promises to be an eye-opening match in Philadelphia between Chelsea and Flamengo.
Zach Lowy
