Chelsea were short of midfield options leading to the Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Palmeiras.

Moises Caicedo was suspended for the quarter-finals, while Romeo Lavia had a slight muscle injury.

Enzo Maresca planned to deploy Reece James in midfield, but Chelsea confirmed a late change to their starting XI after captain Reece James was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained during the warm-up.

As a result, new boy Andrey Santos who had a fine season on loan with Strasbourg stepped in to replace him.

The extent of James’ injury is not yet known, but it marks another frustrating setback for the defender, who has struggled with fitness issues in recent seasons.

In the absence of the more experienced options, Andrey Santos gave a good account of himself.

The 21-year-old Brazilian started the game and played almost the entire minutes until he was subbed off for Dario Essugo.