Club World Cup: Chelsea vs. ES Tunis – Preview, lineups, our tips

Chelsea fans may not have expected it, but Group D all comes down to Match 40 on Wednesday as the English giants and Espérance de Tunis — both on three points heading into the final group games — slug it out to make the playoffs.

Here’s the Sporting Base’s guide and insights for this all-important Group D match-up.

How to watch

• When: Wednesday, 11am (AEST)
• Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
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Expected lineups

• Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Neto, Palmer, Madueke, Delap
• ES Tunis (4-4-1-1): Ben Said, Ben Ali, Tougai, Meriah, Ben Hamida, Mokwana, Guenichi, Ogbelu, Konate, Belaili, Rodrigo

Chelsea vs. Espérance Tunis prediction

Chelsea could not have dreamed up a worse last match that they must now win to make the Round of 16 at the Club World Cup. Espérance de Tunis is on a hot streak: They’ve won 10 of their last 13 matches, and even their cagey 2–0 loss to group leaders Flamengo in Philadelphia didn’t have the air of a struggle for the Tunisian champions.

Considering how Chelsea turned out against Flamengo (read, badly), anything could happen here —which may end up being the deciding factor that helps Enzo Maresca guide his stunned Englishman through to the next stage.

It boils down to this: This Sporting Base writer suspects we’ve seen one of the biggest ambushes of the Club World Cup so far when Flamengo pipped Chelsea in a Group D shock; it’s unlikely the London Blues will let it happen again with so much on the line and with the prep time to regroup after their collapse at the Lincoln Financial Field.

That’s not to say Tunis couldn’t get over the hopeful once-expected English group-toppers, but Maresca should get his team fired up for one last group win. (If you’re a Chelsea fan, just don’t look who would be waiting in the Round of 16.)

• Our prediction: Chelsea 2–0 Espérance Tunis
• Goalscorer tip: Pedro Neto
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