ES Tunis vs Chelsea Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | Group Stage
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Esperance de Tunis have proven themselves to be surprisingly competitive in the FIFA Club World Cup as they face a Chelsea side that are now under pressure ahead of this.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – DAZN & Channel 5 / US – DAZN
ES Tunis team news: Belaili suspended
Key man and their match winner from the game against LAFC, Youcef Belaili, is now missing through suspension for ES Tunis as he received a second tournament yellow card for a dive against the Americans.
Predicted XI (4-4-1-1): Ben Said; Ben Ali, Meriah, Tougai, Ben Hamida; Mokwana, Ogbelu, Guenichi, Konate; Yan; Rodrigo Rodrigues
Unavailable: Belaili (Suspended)
Questionable:
Chelsea team news: Jackson suspended
As was the case against Newcastle United in the Premier League last month, Nicolas Jackson received a straight red card against Flamengo the other day so he is now missing through suspension for the Blues in their final game.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Delap
Unavailable: Jackson (Suspended)
Questionable:
Key stats
- Espérance have won ten of their last 13 matches in all competitions (W10 D2 L1) and have kept ten clean sheets during that time.
- This is Espérance’s first FIFA club competition match against a European team.
- This is Chelsea’s first FIFA club competition match against an African team.
- Chelsea have only failed to score in one of their last 14 competitive matches.
- Chelsea’s defeat against Flamengo is one of only two defeats in their last 11 matches in all competitions (W9 D0 L2).
- Pedro Neto has opened the scoring in Chelsea’s previous two matches at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
- Chelsea’s Andrey Santos scored twice for Brazil in a 4-1 victory against a Tunisia team containing Mohamed Wael Derbali and Raed Bouchniba in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023.
ES Tunis vs Chelsea prediction
Esperance de Tunis came into the tournament being widely tipped as one of the weakest sides. However, the Tunisians have shown themselves to be competitive with a hard-fought 2-0 loss to Flamengo in their opener being followed up by a surprise 1-0 defeat of LAFC a few days’ later.
Chelsea comfortably defeated Los Angeles by two goals to nil in their opening game, but the Blues have since stuttered and find themselves now in a must-win final game. They took the lead against Flamengo via Pedro Neto before capitulating in the second-half to a 3-1 loss to the impressive Brazilians.
ES Tunis will seek to make things difficult for Chelsea but they have now lost their key creative spark in Belaili so a fairly unconvincing Chelsea victory would seem likely.
ES Tunis vs Chelsea tip: Chelsea to win & under 3.5 goals
