Pedro Neto has dedicated Chelsea's Club World Cup final appearance to the memory of Diogo Jota. The Chelsea winger, who previously played alongside the late Liverpool star at Wolves and for Portugal, is mourning the loss of his friend and brother Andre following a tragic car accident.
Neto confessed that continuing to play in the United States has been "really difficult" after the passing of his close mate but is now driven to win the final as a homage to Jota.
The Portuguese international expressed his feelings, saying: "It's been really difficult in the last few days and I just want to leave a message that this final is for him and his brother. It's a really tough time for me, difficult to speak about it and let's hope I can do it for him."
“But I want to dedicate this final to him and his family and show my support in these difficult times for them. We are really happy, really happy to reach the final and to get there is unbelievable.
"We are ready to win the final, play the final and we are determined to win it.”
Chelsea has secured its spot in Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium after defeating Fluminense in the semi-final, which could cap off their season in grand style.
Having already won the Europa Conference League final and secured a place in the Champions League, Chelsea are on the brink of adding another trophy to their cabinet.
Despite not always delivering convincing performances and some scepticism surrounding manager Enzo Maresca, Neto insists that the team deserves recognition.
Pedro Neto
Pedro Neto has helped Chelsea reach the Club World Cup final (Image: Getty Images)
Neto stated: "I think the results speak for themselves and show how hard we've been working, we've been doing good things, working really hard, we've improved a lot and we all think there is more to come from this team.
"We hope to finish in the best way. It would be unbelievable, a dream come true and I'm really, really looking forward to playing this final and hopefully winning it on Sunday."
Chelsea also battled through blistering 100 degree-plus temperatures in the semi-final victory, but Neto insists there can be no excuses after Joao Pedro's brace sealed the win.
Neto added: "The weather is the same for all the teams, we are ready to play and we will give everything to win the competition. Joao is such a good player, he is really good, really dangerous and we are very happy to have him."
Sunday's final is due to take place after Liverpool begins its pre-season schedule against Preston North End.
There had been some doubts over whether the game would go ahead, with the Reds consulting the players before making a final decision.