Chelsea, who have a better goal difference than ES Tunis, need a draw to progress to the round of 16 as group runners-up, where we would play in Charlotte on Saturday at 4pm local time (9pm UK time) against either Bayern Munich or Benfica

Flamengo are now certain to finish top of Group D as teams on level points are initially separated by results against each other, so will play the runners-up in Group C.

This meeting between Esperance and Chelsea will be the first time either side has faced opposition from the other side’s continent competitively.

Chelsea stats

Chelsea are playing back-to-back fixtures at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. It is the fourth time overall there after playing two pre-season matches against AC Milan in 2004 and Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.

Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Flamengo marked the first defeat by an English team in the FIFA Club World Cup (including previous formats) since Chelsea themselves lost 1-0 to Corinthians in 2012. Prior to that, English sides had won eight straight Club World Cup matches.

Losing our first-ever meeting with Flamengo extended the list of teams we have played and never beaten to 11.

This is match number 60 of our 2024/25 campaign, only the 10th time we have reached that number in a single season.

Most club games in a season

69 - 2012/13
64 - 2006/07
63 - 2018/19, 2021/22
62 - 2007/08
61 - 1999/00, 2011/12
60 - 1965/66, 1970/71, 2024/25

Chelsea have won nine of our past 11 matches across all competitions. Our defeats in that run came at Newcastle and against Flamengo when we completed both matches with 10 players. We have kept clean sheets in five of those games.

Milestones

Trevoh Chalobah made his 100th appearance for Chelsea in our last match against Flamengo.

In the same match, Marc Cucurella became the first Chelsea player to play 50 Blues games this season. Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer are two games away from their half-century this term.

ES Tunis stats

Formation: 1919
Ground: Hammadi Agrebi Stadium (Capacity 60,000)
Major honours: CAF Champions League (4), Tunisian Ligue 1 (34), Tunisian Cup (16)
2024/25 league finish: First
Colours: Red and yellow

Esperance de Tunisie earned their second win at the Club World Cup (including previous formats) with a 1-0 victory over LAFC on Friday. Two of the three matches in which ES Tunis avoided defeat in the Club World Cup have been against CONCACAF opposition (previously 1-1 against Chivas Guadalajara in 2018).

Esperance are one of four teams flying the flag for Africa at the FIFA Club World Cup, alongside Al Ahly SC from Egypt, Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) and Wydad AC (Morocco).

Esperance, who were edged out by Al Ahly in the 2023/24 CAF Champions League decider, booked their spot at the new-look FIFA Club World Cup via the CAF ranking pathway, thanks to their consistently impressive performances in Africa’s elite club competition over the past four seasons. The Tunis team have racked up 14 consecutive campaigns in the CAF Champions League proper.

Earlier this week, the Tunisian side beat Los Angeles 1-0 in Nashville, knocking out the MLS side. Bechir Ben Said saved a 90+10 penalty to secure the victory and keep a first clean sheet for ES Tunis at the Club World Cup.

Tunis head into their final group game with an inferior goal difference to the Blues, so only a win will see them progress to the last 16.

2024/25 season

Ligue 1: Winners
Tunisian Cup: Winners
Tunisian Super Cup: Winners
CAF Champions League: Quarter-finals

ES Tunis won a league and cup double this season. They retained the title with a game to spare, eventually finishing four points clear of US Monastir in the 16-team league.

Sixty-nine per cent (22/32) of Esperance’s squad are Tunisian.

Youcef Belaili, the scorer of Tunis' lone goal against LAFC, recorded a joint team-high seven touches in the box in the match. Belaili has 13 touches in the box during the 2025 Club World Cup, almost twice as many as any other Tunis player. Yan Sasse and Belaili are next with seven.

Sasse, who was introduced from the bench in the 62nd minute against LAFC, attempted three shots and completed three dribbles in the match. He is the only substitute to record three of each in a match in the 2025 competition, through matches played Friday.

Last five results

Zarzis (Tunisian Cup home) - W 3-1
Ben Guerdane (Tunisian Cup away) - W 3-0
Stade Tunisien (Tunisian Cup home) - W 1-0
Flamengo (Club World Cup neutral) - L 2-0
LAFC (Club World Cup neutral) - W 1-0

In England, the most familiar former ES Tunis player and former manager is Radhi Jaidi. After 11 successful years at ES Tunis, in which he won every possible trophy, Jaidi moved to Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2004.

The defender scored one of the 15 Premier League goals Chelsea conceded in our first Premier League-winning season in 2004/05, and he would later play for Birmingham and Southampton. He featured in three games against the Blues, all for Bolton, drawing one and losing the other two.

Club World Cup previous game line-up

Esperance de Tunisie vs LAFC on Friday 20 June (3-5-2): Ben Said; Meriah (c), Tougai, Ben Hmida; Benali, Belaili (Jelassi 90+1), Ogbelu, Konate (Derbali 76), Guenichi; Rodrigo (Jabri 61), Mokwana (Sasse 61)
Scorer: Belaili 70
Booked: Belaili 53, Sasse 64

Chelsea's game against Esperance de Tunisie kicks off at 2am UK time on Wednesday. You can watch that and every other game at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 for free live on DAZN. Sign up here.