The draw for the Club World Cup groups, held this Thursday (5), in Miami, in the United States, placed old acquaintances in the path of Palmeiras and its coaching staff. Head of Group A, the white team will face Porto, Al Ahly and Inter Miami.
Of the three opponents in the first phase, only the Egyptian team has already faced the team from the west of São Paulo. There were two clashes, both for the Club World Cup, in its lean format, with only knockout games, now renamed by FIFA (International Football Federation) as the Intercontinental Cup.
The first meeting between the two clubs was in the 2020 third place match, and the Egyptian team came out on top on penalties. The following year, Palmeiras got revenge in the semifinals with a 2-0 victory — in the decision, they ended up being beaten by Chelsea.
Qualified for the World Cup by the European rankings, Porto is an unprecedented opponent in the history of Palestine, but is well known by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira. During the time he worked in his country as coach of Sporting Braga, he never beat the owner of Estádio do Dragão. There were five defeats and one draw, in matches for the Portuguese Championship and the Portuguese Cup.
The most recent meeting was in April 2019, in the knockout competition, when Porto beat Braga in the semi-finals — they won the first leg 3-0, at home, and drew the second leg, 1-1.
Abel also faced Porto wearing the Sporting shirt. As a full-back, he had 20 clashes with his rival: he won seven times, lost nine times and drew another four.
Currently, the blue and white club is second in the Portuguese Championship, three points behind Sporting (33 to 30). Two Brazilians are part of the squad, striker Galeno and winger Pepê.
Of the three opponents that Palmeiras will have in the first phase of the World Cup, the only one with which the club does not have any type of connection is Inter Miami, qualified for the competition as a representative of the host country.
The team’s biggest star is Lionel Messi. The Argentine star, at 37 years old, is getting closer and closer to saying goodbye to the pitch.
Even though he has the technique he always has, without the physical capacity at the height of his career he hasn’t been able to take Miami very far in recent competitions. Last season, the club was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the MLS (Major League Soccer, the North American league) against Atlanta United and fell in the same stage of the Concacaf Champions Cup, against Monterrey, from Mexico.
Palmeiras fans celebrate the path that the World Cup draw gave them. Mainly in comparison with the other Brazilians in the competition.
Current Libertadores champion, Botafogo, for example, will be the only club in the country to face two teams from Europe in the first phase, Paris Saint-Germain, from France, and Atlético do Madrid, from Spain, in Group B, also formed by the Seattle Sounders, from the United States.
Flamengo has a good chance of advancing in Group D, as they will face Espérance, from Tunisia, and León, from Mexico, but it will not be easy to take first place, as Chelsea, from England, are also in the group. .
Fluminense has a similar challenge to its rival from Rio, as it will face Ulsan, from South Korea, and Mamelodi Sundowns, from South Africa, but knows that the favorite in its bracket is Borussia Dortmund, from Germany.
Check out the Club World Cup groups below
Group A
Palm trees
Porto
Al Ahly
Inter Miami
Group B
Paris Saint-Germain
Atlético de Madrid
Botafogo
Seattle Sounders
Group C
Bayern Munich
Auckland City
Boca Juniors
Benfica
Group D
Flemish
Esperance Sportive de Tunis
Chelsea
León
Group E
River Plate
Urawa Red Diamonds
Monterrey
Milan International
Group F
Fluminense
Borussia Dortmund
Ulsan
Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G
Manchester City
Wydad
Al Ain
Juventus
Group H
Real Madrid
Al Hilal
Pachuca
FC Salzburg
Table of Brazilians
1st round
Palmeiras x Porto
Botafogo x Seattle Sounders
Flamengo x Espérance Sportive de Tunis
Fluminense x Borussia Dortmund
2nd round
Palmeiras x Al Ahly
Botafogo x PSG
Flamengo x Chelsea
Fluminense x Ulsan
3rd round
Palmeiras x Inter Miami
Botafogo x Atlético de Madrid
Flamengo x Léon
Fluminense x Mamelodi Sundowns
