Alert – Benfica vs Chelsea – Club World Cup RECAP: Blues advance to quarter finals after chaotic clash lasted over four hours from kick off to full time due to severe weather delay

Without further ado, I’m off to find the cold side of the pillow. If you stuck with me throughout that absolute marathon, I salute you. Take care.

Right, it’s confirmed after about four and a half hours.

Chelsea are into the quarter-finals and will face Palmeiras in the early hours of Saturday morning – 2am BST, in fact.

No, I won’t be there. I can’t say I’m sad about that.

I can’t quite believe I can finally type this.

The game is DONE. It’s OVER. I can sleep now.

I’ve been logged in for so long, I just got booted out of the system.

Still, we’re basically home and dry now.

Chelsea are sauntering into the quarter-finals now.

Their opponents chucked the kitchen sink forward and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall used the space again to break through and score.

That will be that. This never-ending game will finally… end.

Pedro Neto found himself one-on-one on the halfway line and applied the afterburners to get away from veteran Nicolas Otamendi.

The goalkeeper came out and Neto calmly found the far corner.

Tosin Adarabioyo, my hero.

Joao Veloso got in behind down the left and dragged the ball back, but Adarabioyo was there to clatter behind for a corner.

Robert Sanchez then claimed Angel di Maria’s delivery.

That’s enough excitement for one night. Let’s just blow the whistle now.

ENZO MARESCA CHARGES DOWN THE TOUCHLINE! Absolute scenes in Charlotte, and Chelsea are on course to progress.

It all came from a horror mistake from Anatoliy Trubin, who allowed Moises Caicedo’s shot to wriggle through his body.

The ball then rolled across the face of goal, where Christopher Nkunku latched onto the rebound and fired into the roof of the net.

Hopefully this will be the last of this never-ending, infernal game.

‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees played during the interval.

Staying awake, more like. I’m just about managing it.

PEEEEEP! Fifteen minutes to go until penalties.

Angel di Maria then forces a save at the other end. Breathless stuff.

Benfica threw bodies forward on the breakaway and Di Maria danced onto his left boot before firing right down Robert Sanchez’s throat.

Cole Palmer is denied! Chelsea won a corner and worked it short before teeing up their talisman inside the box, in a central area.

He cracked his effort through a crowd of bodies but Anatoliy Trubin watched it swerve toward him before beating it away.

Levi Colwill is the next to be booked after wiping out Andrea Belotti.

This crazy game just keeps getting crazier. Benfica look sharp going forward and for a second, I thought they would take the lead.

Angel di Maria stood up his man down this near side but couldn’t find Andrea Belotti after attempting an audacious double nutmeg.

That assist would have been outrageous.

Seconds later, Malo Gusto flashed a drive which Anatoliy Trubin saved with ease down the centre. That one would have stung a little.

BIG moment, BIG miss. There are acres of space at both ends now.

Andrea Belotti brought Benfica away on the counter and teed up Kerem Akturkoglu to his left in a one-on-one situation.

He then pulled the trigger, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper.

Simply had to do better.

OK, that red card has been clarified a little. Apparently, Gianluca Prestianni had been booked earlier in the game.

That then meant his second caution automatically brought out the red.

At this point, who really knows? I definitely don’t.

This has got to be one of the most farcical, bonkers, downright daft games of football I’ve ever covered. Fair play to the fans who stayed during our two-hour wait.

They picked a good game…

What a ridiculous sending off that is.

Gianluca Prestianni caught Levi Colwill and protested to the referee after being shown a yellow card, making the VAR motion.

That resulted in him being dismissed for dissent. Crazy.

All of a sudden, Benfica are down to 10!

Off we go again. Strap yourselves in.

We’re going to extra-time, readers. I can’t believe it.

Oh my goodness. Benfica almost won it!

Angel di Maria latched onto the ball just inside the box but could only slide his effort into a sea of defenders.

This is madness.

Moises Caicedo… wide. Not very handsome, that one.

There were about two hours and 30 minutes between those goals.

I feel like this is all some sick joke.

I’m supposed to be neutral, but I might actually cry.

Angel di Maria stepped up and stroked home the spot-kick.

As cool as you like.

Does extra time beckon?

Just when you thought there could be no more twists.

Angel di Maria will take.

DRAMA! My word. VAR are checking for a possible Benfica penalty here. The referee is going to the monitor.

This will be given.

Malo Gusto leapt to head away inside the box but his arm was certainly raised above his head. It’s a stonewaller these days.

If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.

After a break of almost two hours – the second longest stoppage of the tournament – we will have six minutes of injury time.

Benfica are buzzing around. They have nothing to lose now.

Benfica were awarded a free-kick in a promising position, around 30 yards from goal, but Chelsea defended their lines well.

The offside flag then went up.

Chelsea actually made a change during that massive break.

Trevoh Chalobah has replaced Romeo Lavia, who is yet to complete 90 minutes for the club. He must be gutted with that.

Get stuffed, Mother Nature. We are back and underway.

Let’s finish this, please. No more drama.

There is basically no one left in the stadium apart from the players, coaching staff and officials. It’s hard to blame those who left.

Actually, more supporters than first thought have reemerged.

In some bad news for Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile is on crutches.

Do my eyes deceive me? I can see players warming up on the pitch.

I think we’re minutes away from finally restarting, folks…

Very good from Chelsea’s X account.

FINALLY! FIFA say the players will come out shortly for a seven-minute warm-up, followed by the resumption of the match.

There’s more bad weather close by, so let’s get this wrapped up.

A collective sigh just went up on both sides of the pond.

Where’s the ‘it’s been 84 years’ gif when you need it?

It’s all doom and literal gloom at the moment.

Bayern Munich’s squad are reportedly stuck in Orlando because their flight to Miami can’t take off due to a huge thunderstorm.

Miami is where Chelsea have been based. They just can’t escape.

Sorry, folks, but there’s been another delay.

A rainbow has appeared above the Bank of America Stadium.

If that’s not a positive sign, then I don’t know what is.

Still we wait for official confirmation over a restart time.

Apparently, there is a fair amount of frustration in that Chelsea squad. Cole Palmer has even been out to ask what’s going on.

It’s also now tomorrow in the UK. That’s weird.

For people on this side of the pond, the game has literally played out over the course of two different days. Barmy.

According to DAZN, the players could be back out in around 20 minutes. They still need to warm up, but that’s good news.

Exercise bikes are in the dressing rooms so they can stay active.

If you’re still with me, I respect the effort. I’m very much burning the candle at both ends. The things we do for the Club World Cup, eh…

I’ll be holding my eyes open with matchsticks like Mr Bean soon.

Still no update on a restart time, by the way.

That Reece James goal feels like a lifetime ago now.

Surprise, surprise… there’s been another delay.

Sigh.

Imagine if, after all this, Benfica get a last-minute equaliser and the game goes to extra-time and then penalties.

Surely not…

Either way, I’ll be tucked up in bed. I’m not cut out for that.

I have to say, this is a masterclass in improvisation from DAZN.

It’s been about 50 minutes since the players returned to their dressing rooms, and there’s only so much the panel can talk about.

Fair play to them. It’s a tough job. I couldn’t do it.

Apparently, we could be delayed by another half-hour because there is still lightning in the area. This is… frustrating.

But, to be fair, those southern storms are serious business.

The stadium is almost completely empty. It’s pretty eerie.

Just a reminder, maddeningly, there are just four minutes left to play.

I can understand why those Chelsea players were so annoyed.

Fairly farcical, this, and not ideal for newspaper deadlines, let me tell you! Another lightning strike has occurred so we’re delayed again. For how long? I have no idea!

All we can do is wait…

Never thought I’d catch myself having a look at weather radars for North Carolina, especially on a Saturday night, but there we go.

I know safety has to come first, but come on… do we really need a 20-minute warm-up to play four minutes of football?

Imagine if this happened at the World Cup next year as well.

Rumours on the ground are that there has been more lightning, and that therefore the clock has been reset. Add on another 30 minutes.

That would mean we won’t get underway until after midnight.

There have been lightning flashes but I don’t think they touched the ground, which is good news. The aim is to restart play at 11.45pm BST.

Warm-ups (again) would take place in a few minutes in that case.

We’ll also bring you the latest updates in this breaking story.

I might be very wrong because there’s no official confirmation, but if there hasn’t been any lightning since the stoppage, we should be back underway in around 10/15 minutes. Maybe.

Due to adverse weather conditions in Charlotte, including the risk of lightning in the vicinity of Bank of America Stadium, the FIFA Club World Cup match between SL Benfica and Chelsea FC has been suspended.

A 30-minute break has been foreseen.

FIFA will follow the established safety protocols, and the match will resume as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Right. This will be a minimum 30-minute delay due to lightning.

Every new lightning strike inside a 10-mile radius will then reset the clock, and the game can’t resume until a full half hour has passed without any lightning. It might be time to put the kettle on again.

I’ve just seen FIFA’s protocol for situations like this.

Give me a second and I’ll break it all down.

I wish I could give you an estimated timeframe for when we’ll get back underway, but I have no idea. Some of these delays can last hours.

It took two hours for Benfica’s victory against Auckland City to resume.

Not ideal, eh? Some of us have places to be…

Chelsea really weren’t happy with that decision. There are just four minutes of normal time remaining, and they were so close to victory.

Oooo, here’s an unexpected twist.

The black clouds are rolling in overhead and the referee has been advised to take the players back into the tunnel.

Safety comes first, of course.

Supporters have also been asked to head inside.

Joao Veloso and Tiago Gouveia are on for Benfica.

Orkun Kokcu is the latest to have been booked for a foul. Cole Palmer knocked in the free-kick but the referee awarded a free-kick.

The attendance has been revealed: 25,929.

This stadium can hold around 75,000. Hmmmm.

It’s a triple change for Chelsea.

Christopher Nkunku, Malo Gusto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are on.

Liam Delap rounded the goalkeeper but the offside flag went up.

It did look pretty clear-cut, in fairness.

A decent run took him through the heart of Benfica’s high backline, but he mistimed it by a matter of seconds.

That was the opening for Benfica – but they wasted it.

Angel di Maria released Fredrik Aursnes and he pulled the ball back for Gianluca Prestianni, who could only drag his strike wide.

Chelsea were carved open for a second there.

Blimey. Benfica are pushing up very high now.

Gianluca Prestianni got to the byline on the left and fizzed in a cross, but the ball struck the hapless Andrea Belotti.

There wasn’t much he could do with that type of service.

We’re up and running again after our final scheduled drinks break.

Benfica really need to step it up but when they have thrown players forward, they’ve left themselves exposed at the back.

There was an example of that before the pause in play when Cole Palmer dragged his strike just wide of the far post.

It’s a real dilemma for Bruno Lage.

Tosin Adarabioyo replaced Benoit Badiashile at centre back.

Benfica also turned to their bench.

Andrea Belotti and Gianluca Prestianni are on.

Benoit Badiashile has been wobbly tonight.

Vangelis Pavlidis got the wrong side of the defender, who almost brought him down in the box, before the danger was shut out.

Badiashile then went down and had to be taken off.

Angel di Maria drifted in a fine cross from a free-kick and Nicolas Otamendi got there on the far side before cracking one over.

He was offside anyway.

There you go, then. Chelsea are closing in on a quarter-final date with destiny against Palmeiras. You’d fancy them to win that one, too.

CHELSEA TAKE THE LEAD!

That was absolutely inch-perfect from Reece James, and it had to be.

The veteran full back took charge of the free-kick out on the right-hand side, around 25 yards from goal, and he bent one inside the near post.

Anatoliy Trubin scampered across but couldn’t get close to it. Goalkeeper error or moment of genius? The Blues won’t care one bit.

Another booking, this time for Florentino Luis.

Moises Caicedo has been cautioned and would miss the quarter-final if Chelsea get there. That’s a big blow for Enzo Maresca.

Oooooo. That was a heart-in-mouth moment for Robert Sanchez.

He could have spent most of this game in a deck chair, but a rare foray forward from Benfica almost led to a comical opener.

The goalkeeper was nearly caught out at his near post by a cross, but he got his body behind it and only just avoided carrying it over the line.

Cool as a cucumber.

Benfica have been second to absolutely everything. Enzo Maresca clearly told his players to press higher and harder in the second half.

Chelsea are circulating the ball well and look so dangerous. It’s just the final touch which has let them down so far.

Still, plenty of time left.

Chelsea won a corner which was floated in by Pedro Neto, but Benoit Badiashile could only guide his header over the top.

There’s the first booking of the game.

Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis was flashed a yellow card after fouling Enzo Fernandes. He would miss the quarter-final if Benfica get there.

Moises Caicedo took a touch out of his body around 30 yards from goal and tried his luck, but his ambitious drive was wide.

I would have hit that, too, to be fair to him.

My word. How did that not go in?

Cole Palmer was released down the left-hand side and he fizzed in a devilish cross that Liam Delap looked destined to touch home.

That was until Nicolas Otamendi got there first, hacking away a hurried clearance which bounced off his leg and span over the crossbar.

If he left that, it’s a simple finish for Delap.

PEEEEP! Off we go again in Charlotte.

I have to say, it’s a pretty sparse crowd tonight. Very underwhelming.

By the way, Benfica made a change during the half-time break. Kerem Akturkoglu is on for Andreas Schjelderup.

As a reminder, the winner of this one will face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. They got the better of fellow Brazilian side Botafogo earlier.

The players are making their way back out.

I’ve seen a few replays of the challenge involving Moises Caicedo just before the break. He’s so lucky he didn’t sustain serious damage.

Both players weren’t backing out and their legs smacked together.

It’s a grim one but fortunately, everyone seems to be OK.

Chelsea had five shots on target in that first half but just couldn’t get the better of Anatoliy Trubin, Ukraine’s No 1.

Most of their chances came through Marc Cucurella, the left back.

Cucurella, incidentally, had six touches in the Benfica penalty area. That was as many as Liam Delap and Cole Palmer combined.

I really enjoyed that, but somehow we haven’t had a goal.

Anatoliy Trubin has been a brick wall between the sticks for Benfica and Marc Cucurella’s effort was headed off the line by Antonio Silva.

At the other end, Robert Sanchez has been a mere spectator.

Plenty to be pleased about for Enzo Maresca and his players.

Cole Palmer managed to hold off a couple of defenders and try his luck from a tight angle, with his strike deflected out for a corner.

The set piece was whipped in but ultimately came to nothing.

Ouch. Moises Caicedo went into a strong challenge and came out worse for wear. He went down and required treatment.

The midfielder was holding his knee but thankfully was able to get back to his feet and make his way to the edge of the pitch.

He’s OK to continue.

The stadium announcer’s voice boomed out around the stadium, revealing there will be three additional minutes.

Andreas Schjelderup got away down the left-hand side and saw an effort blocked by Reece James, who stayed right with him.

Just a couple of minutes, plus stoppage time, before the break now.

Benfica are sat in their solid banks and are hanging on for the whistle.

This half has rocketed by.

Chelsea could do worse than ask Benfica how much they want for their goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin… he’s used this Club World Cup to showcase his superior talents.

Benfica are hanging on but it feels like Chelsea are inadvertently playing with their dinner. They just can’t put the ball in the net.

Surely they’ll find a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

They’re playing some really superb football.

I don’t really know how Chelsea aren’t ahead. Big chance wasted.

Romeo Lavia turned sharply and smuggled Marc Cucurella through on this near side. The full back had just the goalkeeper to beat.

That’s proving a mean task, however, and again, Anatoliy Trubin came out on top, diverting the strike away with a big, strong arm.

What a tournament he’s having.

Chelsea came alive from the restart through Cole Palmer, but Anatoliy Trubin was equal to his low effort, which skidded across the turf.

I agree with Kieran. There has been some silky stuff so far.

We’re back underway in Charlotte, where it’s still very warm.

This football being showcased by Chelsea is as fine as I’ve seen under Enzo Maresca. They’ve been creating the chances, but just have not found that breakthrough yet.

Cole Palmer on the left wing looks threatening.

We’ve reached our first scheduled drinks break of the evening.

Enzo Maresca is using the brief pause to dish out instructions, but he will surely be happy with the performance so far.

Chelsea have been the better side and should really be ahead.

I actually think Angel di Maria went for goal there. He was about 40 yards out, so that was ambitious to say the least.

Still, it was also Benfica’s first effort of the game.

Anyway, on we go. Reece James crossed for Marc Cucurella, the full back on the opposite side, but the Spaniard couldn’t get there.

Benfica had the chance to cause a bit of havoc at the other end with a free-kick, but Angel di Maria’s delivery was straight at Rob Sanchez.

Not the greatest cross in the world, that.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Cole Palmer has been the conduit through which everything good from Chelsea has flown.

He whipped another inviting cross into the box with plenty of power but again, that man Antonio Silva crashed away a header.

Cole Palmer forced Anatoliy Trubin to tip behind his stinging effort at the near post. I thought he’d hit the woodwork, but nope. Good stop.

It’s Chelsea asking all the questions now.

So, so close for Chelsea! Wow.

Liam Delap found Marc Cucurella inside the box and the defender, who loves a goal, bent his effort toward the top corner.

The goalkeeper was beaten all ends up but Antonio Silva was there to head off the line. Heroic – and crucial.

Cole Palmer fired a devilish ball in across the six-yard box but no one gambled. That’s a big wasted opportunity.

Seconds later, Enzo Fernandez saw an effort blocked.

Bash. Marc Cucurella steamed into a challenge on Angel di Maria and was penalised. He escaped with a warning.

Another scare for the Premier League side.

Angel di Maria slid the ball into the box and Reece James held off Andreas Schjelderup, allowing Robert Sanchez to get there.

Strong defending from the full back, that.

Sloppy at the back, and Chelsea were almost caught out.

Benoit Badiashile was napping, releasing Vangelis Pavlidis, but Levi Colwill got a foot in to make a crucial tackle at the last second.

A bit of rustiness there from Badiashile. He needs to be careful.

Good football again. Moises Caicedo linked up sharply with Cole Palmer inside the box, but his low cross was right at the goalkeeper.

Plenty of promising signs for Enzo Maresca in the stifling heat.

It’s all Chelsea in these early stages. Cole Palmer dropped his shoulder and went down wanting a free-kick, but he didn’t get it.

The Blues recycled possession out to the opposite flank where Enzo Fernandez delivered, and his cross deflected behind for a corner.

The set piece was worked short but the flag went up for offside.

Enzo Fernandez fed through Liam Delap, who looked to have got the better of Antonio Silva, but the defender recovered superbly.

The direct approach through the thirds is working a treat.

That didn’t take long. Almost a scintillating start for Chelsea.

The ball was fizzed down the right-hand side for Pedro Neto, who did superbly to hold off Samuel Dahl before pulling the trigger.

Anatoliy Trubin saved at his near post and gathered the rebound.

Cole Palmer is playing on the left wing, very unusually.

Finally, we’re up and running at the Bank of America Stadium!

It’s about 33 degrees centigrade in Charlotte and we’ve begun the glitzy, but ultimately rubbish and very drawn out, walk outs.

The match officials led the procession, grabbing the match ball as they went, before Benfica quickly followed them. Chelsea were last out.

Remember, each player gets their name read out one by one as they head out onto the pitch. It feels like it takes an age every time.

There were notably more cheers than boos for the Blues.

Now’s the time to get that kettle on the boil.

Let’s get some score predictions, shall we? Who do you fancy?

I reckon Chelsea in 90 minutes, and a pretty comfortable win at that.

Kieran Gill, our man at the Bank of America Stadium, went for 1-1 after 90 minutes but the Blues to win it in extra time.

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is mystified by Enzo Maresca’s decision to play Cole Palmer out wide again tonight.

He’s, errrr, not happy.

Speaking on DAZN, Mikel had this to say…

What is the manager thinking? Cole Palmer should not be playing out wide. When you play Cole Palmer out wide, he gets lost in the game.

Cole Palmer is our No 10. He should be right in the middle of everything. Everything should go through him. That’s where you get the best out of him.

It’s like playing Jude Bellingham out of position. Now he is playing for Real Madrid in his favourite position, we are seeing the best of him, bombing forward, scoring goals, creating chances. That’s what Cole Palmer does for us.

Apparently there are thousands of tickets still up for grabs tonight.

It will be interesting to see just how many empty pockets there are.

I don’t think it will be this quiet come kick-off, though. Don’t worry.

I don’t think it will take long for the players to warm up, so to speak.

We’ve got around 25 minutes before we get underway in Charlotte.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap, speaking to DAZN:

It’s what we play football for, games like this.

We’re just going to go out, put on a strong performance and hopefully progress.

He [Enzo Maresca] has given us our instructions on how he wants us to play. Each and every one of us has to fight for the win and fight to get through to the next round.

Benfica are a top team with incredible players so we are going to have to be on our best game.

It’s fair to say Jurgen Klopp did not hold back in his assessment of the expanded Club World Cup. Just have a read of these comments.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know!

The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football. People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas.

I fear that next season players will suffer injuries they’ve never had before. If not, then it’ll happen at the World Cup or afterwards. There is insane money for participating, but it’s also not for every club.

Last year it was the Copa [America] and the European Championship, this year it’s the Club World Cup, and next year the World Cup. That means no real recovery for the players involved, neither physically nor mentally.

A gentle reminder: you can watch tonight’s game for free on DAZN. Just click this link and follow the steps. Nice and easy.

Blimey. Chelsea aren’t messing around, are they?

We also understand a bid for Brighton forward Joao Pedro has been turned down. It was worth around £50million.

The Seagulls are holding out for offers in the region of £60m.

Newcastle are also in the race but the Blues appear to have the advantage. Pedro scored 10 goals in all competitions last season.

Now that the players are in the house, we can get this show on the road. The sun is shining (probably a bit too much) and the energy is crackling nicely around the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

I’m really looking forward to this one. Benfica are certainly no pushovers and there are several players in that XI you’ll recognise.

Make no mistake, they’re here to spoil the party.

By the way, either Chelsea or Benfica will face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Paulinho’s 100th-minute goal settled their contest against fellow Brazilian side Botafogo after extra time was required.

That’s a strong-looking team.

Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi, both of Premier League fame, start. Antonio Silva has also been linked with a move to the top-flight.

So, here is the Chelsea XI. As expected, Liam Delap leads the line.

Reece James returns to right back while there is a surprise start for Benoit Badiashile, who has got the nod over Trevoh Chalobah.

Tosin Adarabioyo starts alongside Levi Colwill.

Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are the midfield trio while Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto will be out wide.

In goal, Robert Sanchez starts over Filip Jorgensen.

As expected, Enzo Maresca has ripped up his Chelsea side and made no less than SEVEN changes for tonight’s game.

Full team news will drop shortly.

Cole Palmer looks in the zone.

Like the rest of the Club World Cup, tonight’s game will be free-to-air for UK viewers. Lucky, lucky you.

If you want to watch alongside our coverage, simply head to the DAZN website and register for free. No subscription is required.

Please do get involved tonight, folks.

If you support Chelsea, you must be delighted with the latest signing.

Yes, he’s young, but he already looks the real deal.

You can drop your thoughts in the comments.

KIERAN GILL IN CHARLOTTE: Chelsea have agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jamie Gittens.

While the figures have not been revealed, sources have confirmed the Blues are set to secure the 20-year-old Englishman after chasing him since the summer window opened.

Gittens has already appeared for Dortmund at the Club World Cup and so would not be able to be added to Chelsea’s squad, should they beat Benfica in their last-16 clash.

He is set to sign a seven-year contract which was agreed earlier this month, and is going to undergo a medical over the weekend.

Chelsea previously had a £42million bid turned down by Dortmund before striking their new deal.

You can read the full story below.

I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from Liam Delap in his first few outings in a Chelsea shirt. What a bargain as well at £30million.

Nicolas Jackson remains suspended tonight after his ridiculous straight red card – and subsequent two-match ban – against Flamengo.

That will surely leave the door open for Delap to start up top.

Remember, he scored his first goal for his new club last time out against Esperance Tunis. Can he grab another one today?

Well, well, well…

I’m seeing a few whispers on social media that Chelsea have now agreed a deal to sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund.

He is set to join on a whopping seven-year deal and could even undergo his medical in the United States as soon as tonight.

I’ll keep you across the latest as soon as we get confirmation.

What a signing that would be.

Enzo Maresca is under no illusions that tonight will be Chelsea’s sternest challenge in the Club World Cup so far.

Speaking yesterday, he said…

The next game is on Saturday and from there we’ll take it game by game. I’m not thinking about the final or how long it is before the Premier League starts.

We can’t think about playing in the final if we’re not focused on Benfica and the rest of the games afterwards.

I like to take it game by game, because I think it’s the right thing to do. We know Benfica are a top club with a top manager and first-class players.

It is going to be very difficult but we were 32 teams, now 16 remain and we hope to go to the quarter-finals.

It’s going to be another scorcher out there. Hardly ideal conditions.

I’ve just checked and the weather in Charlotte, where this game is taking place, is currently a barmy 34 degrees centigrade.

It’s just 19 degrees where I’m ensconced away typing these posts.

I won’t lie, it’s still pretty humid here, too, so I can’t begin to imagine how those players must be coping. Absolutely brutal.

Look after yourself, Kieran!

I’m en route to the stadium now, having had the nice surprise that the Chelsea team are staying in my same hotel. They’re setting off shortly, too. My prediction? 1-1 at full-time, with Enzo Maresca’s side to win it in extra time.

Welcome along, folks. A place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals is up for grabs this evening and boy, do both these clubs want it.

This will surely prove Chelsea’s toughest test since touching down in the United States, however, and I’m predicting a pretty tight game.

The Blues secured their spot in the last-16 after cruising to a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis and a victory today will see them face either Palmeiras or Botafogo. That tie has gone to extra time.

Expect Enzo Maresca to ring the changes once again because of the extraordinary heat. He said it would be ‘impossible’ not to use the entirety of his squad, although Nicolas Jackson remains suspended.

Without further ado, let’s get cracking, shall we?