Chelsea ended the 2024/25 positively, securing Champions League football and defeating Real Betis 4-1 to win the Europa Conference League. Enzo Maresca has a plethora of emerging talents in his squad and has also signed Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, among others. As the West London club prepares for their opening game at the Club World Cup,Maresca has praised two players in his CWC squad.
Enzo Maresca Praises Two Emerging Talents Ahead of CWC Opener
‘Good Feeling’: Dario Essugo and Mike Penders
Despite some challenging periods during the season, Chelsea ended the season on a high, winning a trophy and securing a lucrative top-four spot.Even though they have the youngest average squad age in the Premier League, theyhave several talented players andlook primed for asuccessful future.
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Maresca’s squad will receive a boost next season, with the arrivals of players such as Dario Essugo and Estevao Willian. The future looks bright at Stamford Bridge and Maresca has recognised the potential of two other players in his CWC squad:“Dario Essugo, I have a good feeling about him, and he is working well with us. And Mike Penders is also another talented player.”
Chelsea vs LAFC
In their opening game at the CWC, Chelsea will face LAFC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta., with a strong squad at Maresca’s disposal. Despite being the heavy favourites, Chelsea will need to be wary of a motivated LAFC team who will be looking to cause a big upset.
LAFC will have some familiar faces in their ranks, with Hugo Lloris set to play in goal for the MLS team. In attack, they will have ex-Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, while their dangerman will be Gabon international Denis Bouanga.
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It remains tobe seen how far Chelsea will go at the CWC, but we expect them to get off to a winning start, with LWOFpredicting a 3-0 win for the West London club.