Rest day of sorts in Abu Dhabi and there is a clear feeling that Chelsea must produce far better if they are to be crowned champions of the world on Saturday evening.
Today involved two batches of light training, the first focused on recovery, at their hotel campus with the focus moving straight to analysing the strengths and weaknesses of Palmeiras, the Copa Libertadores champions.
The Blues made hard work of defeating Al Hilal in last night’s semi-final at Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium, a fortuitous goal from Romelu Lukaku in the 33rd minute and two impressive saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga proving the difference.
But Palmeiras will put up a far greater challenge and, with an estimated 15,000 of their fans travelling to the emirate, Chelsea have been warned that it will feel like an away game rather than a neutral tie.
Abu Dhabi has been quiet all week save for the Sao Paulo contingent and the meaning of this tournament to them cannot be overplayed. They view this as an opportunity to get one over on the bigger, richer European clubs – but also many of their domestic rivals who routinely chide them for not yet winning this competition.
Thiago Silva has been key at driving that message of importance home, while captain Cesar Azpilicueta and sporting director Petr Cech have been using their experience of Yokohama a decade ago to remind younger players that such opportunities may not come along again.
Jorginho’s Brazilian stock means he understands what this tournament means for South American teams too and he will stress that at the team hotel over the next 48 hours.
"It feels good, it is always good to be in a final," he said last night. "It is another trophy and it is important for us. We have never won this cup. It’s important and we will give everything to bring the trophy home.
"Palmeiras are going to play for everything. This is very important for a team in Brazil. It is the same for us but definitely we are going to give everything in this final and we need to be prepared. I think probably [they want to prove they are better than European teams].
"It is the opportunity for them to play against a team from Europe. For them, that’s a big thing. They are going to come for us. We need to be prepared for that."
All indications are that they will and, if anything, last night’s scrappy performance was a consequence of them feeling under too much pressure than approaching it casually.
The mercury has risen further with forecasts suggesting Saturday could be eight to ten degrees hotter than yesterday’s high of 21.
In an unusual move FIFA has moved the location of tomorrow’s pre-match press conferences to the smaller Al Nahyan stadium because it has a bigger media area following concerns around social distancing at the Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium. Chelsea's is expected to be mid-afternoon local time, late morning back in London.
