Palmeiras go into their FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Tigres as favourites, but the Brazilians will be wary of their Mexican opponents as much as their own unpredictable form.
It’s been just over a week since Palmeiras were crowned the Copa Libertadores champions after an extra-time winner by Breno Lopes helped them beat Sao Paulo state rivals Santos in the final at the Maracana. While Palmeiras were still savouring their first South American title in 21 years, they were put on a plane to Qatar to take part in the Club World Cup.
Abel Ferreira’s men will be aiming to become just the fourth non-European Club to win the Club World Cup, a feat achieved by three Brazilian compatriots – Corinthians in 2000 and 2012, Sao Paulo in 2005 and Internacional in 2006. But the lack of consistency this season and fatigue could scupper their plans in Qatar.
Palmeiras, Brazil’s most successful club with 10 national titles, are struggling in sixth place in the Brazilian top flight. They have not won any of their last four league matches, collecting just two points in the process, which should give Tigres a glimmer of hope.
Ahead of today’s game at the Education City stadium, Palmeiras coach Ferreira said the team was confident of reaching the final but warned his players they were up against a ‘quality side’.
“Tigres have played in the three finals of CONCACAF in the last five years and are a team which has been invested heavily. In addition they have a collective, purposeful way of playing,” said Ferreira yesterday.
“But we are prepared to face them. They are a quality opponent, but nothing changes our ambition. If we want to be the best, we have to face the best teams. It is a team that will challenge us, it will force us to be at our best,” he added.
With the threat of Tigres’ striker Andre-Pierre Gignac looming on them, Ferreira was hoping that his side can bring their strong defensive ability into the game. Gignac scored two goals on Thursday, which helped the Mexicans beat Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai in their tournament opener.
The 35-year-old Frenchman has been a huge success at the Liga-MX outfit, scoring 144 goals in 244 games since joining on a free transfer in 2015. “More than being concerned about Gignac, we have to worry about Tigres as a team. We will impose our way of defending and attacking against them. We have to defend well because our opponent has a lot of quality and tremendous potential with great players,” he said.
Palmeiras do have their own stars with former Shakhtar Donetsk star Luiz Adriano, versatile midfielder Gabriel Menino and 18-year-old attacker Gabriel Veron in their line-up.
Meanwhile, Tigres are capable of causing an upset on their day. The Mexicans have lost just one of their last nine matches in all competitions, even though they weren’t at their best against Ulsan. Tigres qualified for the Club World Cup after ending a long wait for an elusive CONCACAF Champions League crown with a dramatic victory over Los Angeles FC in the final. After finishing runners-up in three of the past four editions, Tigres finally got their hands on the trophy as former Marseille and France striker Gignac hit a late winner in Orlando.
Tigres coach Ricardo Ferretti was excited at the prospect of playing against Palmeiras and was dreaming of a place in the final. “Just as the fans are excited, so are we and we want to do well. The message is the same: we will try to do our best,” Brazilian-born Mexican said yesterday.
“We are aware of Palmeiras’ quality. I don’t think there is anything that we don’t know about them. But we treat all the teams equally, be it Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, German. We do not value or belittle anyone.”
Mexico’s Tigres UANL pictured during a training session in Doha yesterday.
