Chelsea ready for Thiago Silva reunion

Chelsea's young side are targeting a place in the final of the Club World Cup when they take on Fluminense in the last four on Tuesday, with the Brazilian team marshalled by former Blues defender Thiago Silva who is still going strong at the age of 40.

Silva joined Chelsea in 2020 after eight years at PSG, helping the London side to Champions League glory in his debut season. He made 155 appearances for the Blues before returning to Brazil last year, concluding a successful four-year spell during which he mentored several of the club's current young stars now featuring regularly under Enzo Maresca.

"He's a legend of football, a top player," Marc Cucurella, a teammate of Silva's for two years, told English media, adding that the two had exchanged messages about their impending reunion.

"We have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things, win this game and play in the final."

Silva initially made his name at Fluminense, featuring in the team that reached the Copa Libertadores final in 2008 before losing to LDU Quito of Ecuador. He returned there upon leaving Chelsea and was then reunited earlier this year with Renato Gaucho, the coach in 2008 who is now in his sixth spell in charge.

An impressive run at the Club World Cup has seen Fluminense hold Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, eliminate Inter Milan in the last 16 and get the better of Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal in the quarterfinals.

"If you had asked me beforehand if we would have got this far I would have said we were a long way away from doing so," Silva told broadcaster DAZN after the victory over Al Hilal.

"We know the financial size of these teams, the difference is enormous, absurd. But often our collective, the family atmosphere that we have, gives us strength that you maybe don't think you have."