Esperance Tunis take on the visitors Chelsea in the round 3 match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Wednesday, June 25th at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA).
Espérance deliver at a predictable level. The Blood and Gold remain a powerhouse in Tunisian football. Last spring, they secured the league title for the 34th time, finishing 4 points ahead of their nearest rival. They’ve completely dominated domestically since the 2016/2017 season, consistently locking down first place year after year. During this stretch, they also lifted the CAF Champions League trophy twice, in 2018 and 2019. However, their most recent continental campaign ended in a dull quarterfinal, where they lost 0-1 on aggregate to Mamelodi Sundowns over more than 180 minutes of play. At the Club World Cup, Kanzari’s men opened with a predictable 0-2 loss to Flamengo. They bounced back against Los Angeles FC, where Belaïli scored the only and decisive goal in the 70th minute to secure a 1-0 win.
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Chelsea transitioned from Abramovich’s ownership to American investors a little over three years ago. Under Todd Boehly’s leadership, the spending was aggressive, but results lagged behind, as Chelsea slipped into mid-table in the Premier League. Under Pochettino in 2023/24, they only managed a sixth-place finish. But this summer, with Enzo Maresca at the helm, things changed dramatically. The Italian coach guided the Londoners to a Champions League spot, finishing fourth in a tightly contested Premier League campaign. On top of that, even a second-string side delivered continental silverware — Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 win over Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final. At the Club World Cup, they opened with a confident 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC. But against Flamengo, an early red card to Nicolas Jackson left them down to ten men, and they eventually fell 1-3.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Espérance and Chelsea. The Blues are overwhelming favourites and should win comfortably. The smart bet is Chelsea -1.5 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win with -1.5 handicap.
