Linchpin Caicedo’s ban leaves big hole for Chelsea in Club World Cup test | Club World Cup 2025

MRide Caicedo was still going strong. There were 108 minutes at the clock at the Bank of America stadium – not taking into account the long delay in weather conditions – when the Chelsea midfielder won possession in half of Benfica, found Cole Palmer and jumped forward.

Palmer has advanced to a defense in sub-employed behind. He waited for support before finding Caicedo’s overlap. Benfica, tiring of 10 men, was defeated by the power of Caicedo. The 23 -year -old shoot, Anatoliy Trubin made a mess of her safeguard and the ball was torlled to Christopher Nkunku to score the goal that sent the Enzo Maresca team in the quarterfinals of the club World Cup.

One problem, however: Caicedo will purge a ban on a match when Chelsea meet Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday evening. A momentary judgment can be expensive. Caicedo had to be smarter when he questioned an arbitration decision in the second period against Benfica. He took his protest too far and received a reservation for dissent, leaving a dilemma to Maresca.

Caicedo is the Pinpin in the Chelsea midfielder – no one laughs at its expense of 115 million pounds sterling now – and its absence is important. The Ecuador started all the Premier League matches last season, becoming the first Chelsea player to do so since César Azpilicueta in the 2018-2019 campaign, and his durability is not in doubt.

Stretch it and it was not forced to miss a match because the disease prevented it from a 2-1 defeat against the Wolves the day before Christmas in 2023. Before that, the only times that it did not start in the League was a late substitute during a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle in November 2023 after the late return from international duty and when it is incavible for an outstanding draw in September 2023.

He became common to see Caicedo run an injury after being worse in a 50-50 challenge. He needed treatment on a knee against Benfica but has always played. No wonder Maresca looked so strongly about him. The head coach does not like to enter key matches without the former Brighton midfielder.

There was no question of Maresca rested Caicedo in the league when he was a yellow card of a ban on two games during the meeting of last season. Caicedo was entrusted to avoid trouble, even if it plays on the edge and is never shy to go hard when the ball is there to be won.

But indiscipline cost him in the United States. Chelsea, who added João Pedro to their team after signing the Brighton striker, has to react. Caicedo plays when it is important. Maresca rested it in the Carabao Cup and in the easy conference league matches, but never when the issues were raised. After all, Caicedo started and scored in the final victory of the League of the Conference on Real Betis. The fact of being put in suspension against Espérance last week is unimportant since Caicedo started three of the four games at the Club World Cup.

The importance of Caicedo is vast. Its long -term coverage is Dário Essugo, who has just joined Sporting. ESSUGO is inexperienced and has only made two substitute appearances to its new side. It would be a huge bet for Maresca to select the 20 -year -old combative against Palmeiras.

MARESCA is likely to find other ways to compensate for the loss of its best platform. It is frustrating since the Benfica game was the first time that Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernández started together in the midfield since the opening weekend of last season. The most likely solution seems to be to move Fernández to a deeper role.

However, there was some concern after the shiny but fragile Lavia was not represented in training earlier this week. There is no replacement for the control of Lavia and the ability to lead the game. Chelsea needs him to be ready for his fourth start of the tournament. Essugo is raw. Andrey Santos is considered a n ° 8 and learns the style of Maresca. Reece James impressed in the right back against Benfica but had trouble in the central midfielder when Chelsea lost against Flamengo in Philadelphia during the group phase.

It was a bad afternoon. Nicolas Jackson was sent – the attacker finished a ban on two games – and Chelsea failed to face the Flair, the adventure and the passion of Flamengo. At least they face Palmeiras knowing that they do not underestimate the Brazilian opposition.

Palmeiras will remain undefeated and will be supported by a large audience at Lincoln Financial Field. They tried to calm the media threw around Estêvão, the fascinating young winger who joined Chelsea after the tournament. Their manager, Abel Ferreira, won 10 trophies during his five years of work, developed young talents and refused lucrative club offers in Europe and Saudi Arabia because of his desire to make world champions in Palmeiras for the first time.

Chelsea should be at their best. There was talk of a favorable route to the final – they avoided a draw at the last against 16 against Bayern Munich and had to face Manchester City in the last four, only for Al -Hilal to shock the Pep Guardiola team – but there is no room for the complacency against Palmeiras. It is a rehearsal of the 2022 final, when Chelsea de Thomas Tuchel collected the final trophy of the Roman era of Abramovich by beating the Palmeiras punching side of Ferreira in more time, and it will not be easy without Caicedo.