Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira said his side will be underdogs when it meets Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final on 4 July at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Speaking on the eve of the match, the Portuguese manager noted that the Premier League club had just “come here and bought our best player,” a reference to the recent sale of 18-year-old forward Estêvão to the London side. Ferreira urged local fans to support the South American champions on U.S. Independence Day against the English team, which defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in the 2021 tournament final. While conceding Chelsea’s superiority, he insisted the Brazilian club has “weapons and ambition” to engineer an upset within its tactical plan. The coach also criticised Palmeiras’ scouting department for failing to spot talent such as Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández before his €121 million move to Chelsea, saying his staff had been “blind” when they faced the player in 2021. Despite the gap in resources, Ferreira said he is confident his squad can compete collectively. Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, meanwhile, emphasised that the European side is not underestimating Palmeiras, praising the strength of South American teams in the competition. The winner of Friday’s fixture will advance to a semi-final against either Fluminense or Al Hilal.