Flamengo vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips, Best Bets, Stats, Predictions

Flamengo came into the Club World Cup in a rich vein of form – sitting top of the Brazilian Serie A with seven wins from their 11 league games.

Giorgian De Arrascaeta has been a significant contributor, with nine goals to his name in nine just league starts, meaning he leads the scoring charts in Brazil.

It took just 17 minutes for him to open his account in this competition, as he scored the first goal of the game against Esperance de Tunis in gameweek one. Given that he also netted for his national team against Venezuela just before arriving at this competition, Arrascaeta’s form could not be better, and he looks to be a player to target in this match.

Operating in an advanced midfield spot, the Uruguay international is averaging 2.36 shots per 90, with a 56% shot accuracy in the league.

Marc Cucurella often popped up in promising advanced positions towards the end of last season, inverting from left back into midfield, sometimes even joining the forward line. In fact, the Spaniard registered a shot in 16 out the last 22 games in the 2024/25 campaign. In that same period, Cucurella netted five goals to exemplify his attacking involvement.

Although he did not manage an attempt at goal against LAFC, Cucurella still found himself in some great positions, which makes this price stand out.

From a tactical perspective, Chelsea were often able to play through the lines of LAFC, utilising quick link-up and clever runs. Flamengo are expected to be more compact defensively, meaning the Blues will likely rely on crosses. Cucurella often finds himself in the box as the spare man to create overloads, making this an ideal matchup to target as well.

Nicolas Jackson averaged 1.45 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season, ranking him fifth in the Chelsea squad for total fouls committed.

The Senegalese striker is an extremely willing and aggressive presser, and can often be overzealous in his actions. He received seven yellow cards in the league last season, while he also missed the final two league games owing to a straight red card against Newcastle.

Although Jackson did not commit a foul against LAFC, this bet still landed thanks to the SuperSub rule. New signing Liam Delap marked his Chelsea debut with an assist against LAFC, while also committing two fouls in a 26-minute appearance off the bench. Last season, Delap racked up the most fouls for his side, Ipswich Town, averaging 2.5 infringements per 90.

Given that Flamengo drew 19 fouls in their opening game against Esperance, this game should be feisty.

Luiz Araujo had a stellar opening game against Esperance, registering an assist for the first goal, before getting on the scoresheet himself in the 70th minute. The winger played the full 90, and was also heavily involved on the defensive end. Araujo was involved in 17 duels overall – the second-highest in the match – guilty of committing five fouls in total.

Araujo is averaging 1.75 fouls per 90 this season, one of the highest in the Flamengo squad, landing this bet in seven out of nine matches when playing at least 60 minutes. The 29-year-old works extremely hard for his side, and will have plenty of defending to do against the Blues. Denis Bounaga, who operates in a similar left-wing role to Araujo, committed two fouls for LAFC against Chelsea in gameweek one.

Expecting a tightly-contested affair between the two strongest sides in Group D, fouls are a target market.