Maresca must start Chelsea talent against fans who are “not going to say nice things” | OneFootball

Chelsea face Flamengo tonight in the Club World Cup, and if there’s one person who knows what to expect, it’s Andrey Santos.

The Brazilian midfielder was playing for Flamengo’s rival Vasco not long ago, and predicts a tough game. This tournament has special meaning for the South American sides, who are always looking for a chance to prove themselves against the European teams in competitive games, and Flamengo are no exception.

Santos expects them to bring a big crowd, and a lot of intensity.

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Santos on “amazing” Flamengo fans

Andrey Santos trains with Chelsea in Atlanta. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

“I know there are many people from Brazil here and the support of their fans is amazing. But we have to be constant and do our work,” he explained in quotes on the club’s official website.

“I played for Flamengo’s rival, so when I’m on the pitch, they’re probably not going to say nice things about me! It’s probably going to happen, but it’s football, it’s normal for me. It’s not a problem.”

Chelsea will be facing some old friends when they take on the giants from Rio. Former Blue Jorginho will be in the team, and their manager Filipe Luis had a season with us in 2014-2015.

Santos himself has played against Filipe Luis, as he explained:

“My first derby against Flamengo, Filipe Luis played. ‘He was so strong and hard to play against. Now he’s a coach but I think I’m more prepared [to face them].”

It’s still not certain if Santos will start, but after not getting a single minute in the win over LAFC on Monday, this would seem the natural time to drop him into the mix. The fact he gets to play against his old rivals just makes things even more interesting, and we hope Maresca makes that call.