Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
On Wednesday, June 25, in the third round of the FIFA Club World Cup group stage, Chelsea will face Esperance. I'm offering a bet on the number of goals scored by one of the teams in this encounter.
Key facts and head-to-head history
- Chelsea have suffered just 2 defeats in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
- Esperance have lost only once in their previous 13 games.
- This is Chelsea's first-ever match against an African side.
- Esperance will face a European club for the first time in their history.
Match preview
Esperance has long been one of North Africa’s football powerhouses. However, they qualified for the Club World Cup not as CAF Champions League winners, but as one of the top-ranked clubs according to the club coefficient. Domestically, Esperance have now clinched the Tunisian league title for the 34th time, finishing four points ahead of Monastir.
Regardless of Wednesday’s result, Esperance can already consider their tournament a success. In their opening group match, Maher Kanzari’s men fell to Flamengo as expected, losing 0-2. But in the second round, Esperance battled hard and edged out Los Angeles FC thanks to a lone goal by Youcef Belaïli. Unfortunately for the Tunisian side’s supporters, Belaïli will miss the upcoming clash with Chelsea due to suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
Chelsea have endured a few difficult years, but finally returned to the Champions League this past season and also captured the UEFA Conference League trophy. The Londoners booked their Club World Cup ticket as winners of the 2020/21 Champions League campaign.
In their Club World Cup 2025 opener, Enzo Maresca’s side comfortably saw off Los Angeles FC (2-0) with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez. Against Flamengo, Pedro Neto opened the scoring again, but Nicolas Jackson’s red card left Chelsea a man down and they eventually lost 1-3. Thanks to a superior goal difference, Chelsea are ahead of Esperance in the group standings, meaning a draw will be enough to secure their place in the play-offs.
Probable line-ups
- Esperance: Ben Said; Ben Ali, Meriah, Tougai, Ben Hamida; Mokwana, Ogbelu, Guenichi, Konate; Yan; Rodrigo Rodriguez
- Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Delap
Esperance vs Chelsea prediction
Esperance have impressed at this tournament, but Chelsea are operating on a completely different level. My bet is on the nominal visitors to score more than 2 goals.
