Pitso Mosimane: two big teams in Club World Cup semifinal

Pitso Mosimane will face a familiar foe in Tuesday’s Fifa Club World Cup semifinal when his Al Ahly side come up against Brazilian outfit Palmeiras.

It is the same side Ahly met in the third-place play-off in 2021, where they triumphed 3-2 on penalties after the match finished 0-0 to claim the bronze medal. The South American champions are back for a second year in a row and are looking for their first win and first goal in the competition after a 1-0 loss to Mexican outfit UANL in the semifinals last year, and then that Ahly defeat on spot-kicks.

Palmeiras are led by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira, dubbed the “New Mourinho” for his slightly eccentric behaviour. He is one of a handful of tacticians to have claimed multiple Copa Libertadores wins in the past few decades. They achieved their goal with a 2-1 extra-time win over more fancied Flamengo to ensure Ferreira’s place in history.

“We can't talk about Palmeiras as if they are a small team,” Mosimane said. “They have an excellent European coach, they are the South American champions and they are a very tactical team. We will have to score first to gain an important advantage. But if Palmeiras is a big club, then so are we.”

Palmeiras have been in Abu Dhabi since last Thursday in preparation for the game, though they could be without two players, Piquerez and Gabriel Veron, who tested positive for Covid-19 before the team left for the UAE.

The squad contains Brazil national goalkeeper Weverton, Paraguay defender Gustavo Gómez and Chile international midfielder Benjamín Kuscevic. They also have experienced Brazilian forward Dudu and attacking midfielder Raphael Veiga.

No team from outside Europe has lifted the title since 2012, but Dudu is confident his side can break that run.

“A club as big as Palmeiras, the target is to win every tournament we enter,” he told Fifa.com. “And that’s what we believe we will do at the Club World Cup. We know we will have a very tough semifinal. Ahly are a very good team who we respect a lot. But we’re very well prepared, we have a lot of confidence.”

They have the most Brazilian Serie A title wins with 10, though none since 2018, while their continental triumph in 2021 was also their third. They are on a seven-game unbeaten run since they lifted the that Copa Libertadores trophy, winning five of those. 

Palmeiras have in their youth set-up 15-year-old striker Endrick, who has been likened to  former Brazil star Ronaldo Nazario. He has been linked to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, with Palmeiras set to insert a €100m release clause in his first professional contract when he turns 16.

“He’s a kid who has everything to become one of the best players in the world,” Dudu said. “He impressed everybody at the Copa Sao Paulo and he’s impressed us players since he started training with us.

“He has to be careful not to let all this go to his head, to remain humble. I hope he can become a great striker for Palmeiras and the Seleção [Brazil national team] and I think he’ll end up playing for huge clubs in Europe.”