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Liam Delap impresses for Chelsea in front of almost 50,000 empty seats

The stony look on Nicolas Jackson’s face as Liam Delap replaced him during this somewhat laboured Club World Cup victory said it all. He was given a glimpse of the future - and it will not be as the first-choice centre-forward.

Jackson had provided a smart assist for Chelsea’s opening goal against Los Angeles FC but Delap did enough in his 30-minute cameo to suggest he can fulfil the expectation of being the club’s new number nine after his £30 million move from Ipswich Town. And not just because the 22-year-old wears it on his shirt.

Delap was typically powerful and direct and his first action was to knock over a defender. At last Chelsea have a focal point to their attack.

How they need it. The generous thing to say is that this looked like an opening group game, against meagre opposition, having travelled thousands of miles at the end of a long and demanding season. Which is was it was. But Chelsea will have to play far, far better than this if they are to go deep into this tournament.

And Fifa will have to do far better than this if they are to convince the world that it is all worth it. The official attendance inside this impressive, futuristic stadium was 22,137 – less than a third of its capacity. Even that looked like generous and it was not the image that such an apparently needed and anticipated competition wanted to portray. Empty seats everywhere.

If there was some mitigation for the shockingly low attendance in that this game kicked off at 3pm on a weekday, to pander to the 8pm UK audience, then it was very slim. Whatever way it was cut this was a terrible look for Fifa and this tournament and the wisdom, or greed, of taking such group games into a vast arena.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium during Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC

The game was played in front of swathes of empty red seats in Atlanta - Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt

The retractable roof was closed, given the afternoon heat which touched 30 degrees Celsius and the humidity and so the pace of the game should not have been affected as much as Paris St-Germain’s win over Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles had been.

It inevitably felt like a mis-match; like a cup tie against a lower league opposition for Chelsea which is precisely what it was. LAFC are ranked the 126th best team in the world by the statisticians at Opta – between RB Salzburg and Sunderland – but that felt like a highly generous valuation. This was more lower half of the Championship. At best. Chelsea are seventh, again probably too lofty but it highlighted the gulf.

The closed roof at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

The elaborate roof at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium which was closed for the game - Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox

The question was: how ruthless would Chelsea be in exposing it? Maresca went strong – the competition rules insist coaches have to, but still there is leeway.

But this was just about his first-choice line-up and also an opportunity for Nicolas Jackson to throw down the gauntlet to Delap.

And the Senegalese striker brilliantly turned provider as he collected possession on halfway and played a wonderfully incisive ball for Pedro Neto to run onto. The winger cut back, dumping Ryan Hollingshead to the turf and beat former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Before that Noni Madueke was denied by Lloris and Cole Palmer’s effort was deflected narrowly over and it was what we all thought it would be: attack against defence although Robert Sanchez’s continuing lack of certainty gave LAFC a chance.

Pedro Neto scoring for Chelsea against Los Angeles FC

Pedro Neto was set up by Nicolas Jackson for the opening goal - Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

The goalkeeper lazily struck a clearance against the back of a LAFC player but got away with it and flapped at a free-kick. It exposed, once more, Chelsea’s need for a new first-choice. Hence the attempt to buy AC Milan’s Mike Maignan ahead of this tournament.

It feels like a deal they will return to. But it was that comfortable that Maresca did not leave his seat in the technical area once in the first-half and while, of course, in most global competitions we get mis-matches – such as England against Iran at the last World Cup – there was just no jeopardy and little tension.

LAFC had to do something. And so they brought on 38-year-old Olivier Giroud, who spent three years at Chelsea, but not before an inordinate delay to the second-half – because he did not have a shirt and one had to be fetched from the changing rooms. It led to understandable complaints from the Chelsea players.

But it was Chelsea’s current centre-forward, Jackson, who went close with a header that appeared to beat Lloris only to be cleared off the line by Timothy Tillman.

By now Maresca was out of his seat as LAFC were providing a threat as Denis Bouanga did well to hold off Neto only for Sanchez to block his shot with an outstretched leg. He should have scored.

This time he had seen enough. On came Delap for his debut, replacing Jackson, which roused the crowd.

Liam Delap in action during Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC at the Club World Cup

Liam Delap’s movement caused problems as soon as he was introduced - Reuters/Dale Zanine

Delap’s first meaningful involvement was encouraging as was his link-up with Palmer who picked him out. Delap cleverly rounded Eddie Segura and tried to tee up another substitute Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea needed that second goal and LAFC should have drawn level with two shots blocked and Bouanga inches away from turning in a cross.

But it was Chelsea who did strike, doubling their advantage and ending any doubt as, this time, Delap found Fernandez who cushioned the ball before poking it past Lloris.

10:26 PM BST

A worryingly low turnout in Atlanta

A final word on fans: the attendance numbers this week will be interesting to see. Fifa risk looking silly. Chelsea v LAFC had a 22,000 attendance - almost 50,000 less than stadium capacity - and certainly looked that way for the rare wide-angle camera shots.

That is it from us, thanks for reading.

10:19 PM BST

Chelsea v LAFC statistics

Possession: 66% - 34%

Shots: 17 - 7

Shots on target: 6 - 4

Passes: 722 - 384

Corners: 7 - 1

Yellow cards: 3 - 2

Player of the match: Pedro Neto (Chelsea)

10:16 PM BST

Delap on pushing Jackson for place: ‘You’ve got to thrive off the competition’

Liam Delap stood out brightly in his 30-minute cameo. Both he and Nicolas Jackson delivered classy assists.

“It’s a really happy feeling for me, I’m so excited to be here, play my first game and contribute,” he told Dazn.

Asked about whether he enjoys pushing Jackson to be in the manager’s mind: “It is always healthy to have competition, it is football and this is an incredible club, so it’s always going to be hard. You have got to thrive off the competition.”

Chelsea's Liam Delap celebrates at the end of the Club World Cup group D soccer match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta

Liam Delap celebrates after Chelsea’s Club World Cup win over LAFC - AP/Brynn Anderson

10:08 PM BST

Enzo Maresca’s thoughts

“A very good result. At this stage of the season, it is also normal you have to manage different kind of things. Overall, I think the performance has been good and we won the game.

“The good thing about Liam [Delap] is he knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick. Also we gave a chance to Dario Essugo, another new player, so good for both of them.”

10:02 PM BST

Full-time: Chelsea 2 Los Angeles FC 0

Chelsea were briefly made uncomfortable by their opponents, but got the job done in their Club World Cup opener. A decent start for Enzo Maresca’s side, with good intensity in the Atlanta heat. Pedro Neto was a handful going forward, while Liam Delap came on for his debut and looked full of running and positive intent too.

Their next match in Group D is against Flamengo on Friday evening. They may need to play better there to come away with three points.

09:59 PM BST

90+3 min: Chelsea 2 Los Angeles FC 0

It’s Denis Bouanga against Malo Gusto on the left. He goes down running into the box, but there was no contact and the referee waves play on.

Down the other end, the final act of the match is Pedro Neto clipping the crossbar with a 25-yard shot after cutting in. Chelsea had five on four there.

09:57 PM BST

90+2 min: Chelsea 2 Los Angeles FC 0

Into the second minute of the three added on. Palencia gets a yellow card for blocking off Pedro Neto with his arm after he sought to receive a one-two. A WWE-esque move after the pre-match WWE-style introductions.

09:54 PM BST

89 min: Chelsea 2 Los Angeles FC 0

Two changes for the American side:

Delgado → Yeboah

Tillman → Marlon

Almost another goal for Chelsea, as Caicedo understudy Essugo tackles an LAFC defender well from a goal-kick. However, the experienced Lloris catches his flick left towards Delap.

09:52 PM BST

Mercedes-Benz Stadium less than a third full

The official attendance is put at 22,137 - less than a third of the 71,000 capacity. But even that looks like a generous number.

09:50 PM BST

84 mins: Chelsea 2 Los Angeles FC 0

Malo Gusto misreads a ball over the top and Denis Bouanga very nearly capitalises. He just about recovers, putting the striker under pressure. As he falls to the ground, he shoots but Sanchez is equal to it.

Two changes for Chelsea, with Essugo making his debut. The 20-year-old is a summer signing from Sporting.

Palmer → Nkunku

Caicedo → Dario Essugo

09:46 PM BST

GOAL!

Chelsea 2 Los Angeles 0 (Fernandez, 79). Making the most of the swathes of space on the right, Cole Palmer picks out new boy Liam Delap on the right, moving into space. His accurate cross finds the onrushing Enzo Fernandez on the six-yard box, who controls well and pokes past Lloris at point-blank range.

After that well-taken second, Chelsea can breathe.

09:44 PM BST

78 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Several half-chances go begging for LAFC. Bouanga, who seemingly was marginally offside anyway, played it square to Martinez. Bodies on the line from Chelsea, blocking his shot. Tillman’s cross-shot back across was then played out by their Gabonese star. This is not as comfortable as Chelsea would have hoped.

09:41 PM BST

76 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

In the next instalment of their duel, Martinez goes down under very little contact and Cucurella receives a yellow card.

Muscling forward with pace, Liam Delap nearly has enough time for a shot, but Tillman charges back to nick the ball off him.

09:39 PM BST

72 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Ryan Hollingshead cuts in from left-back and sends a powerful long-range shot just over the bar. LAFC are not going to die wondering. The match has come to life in the last 15 minutes.

The referee blows up. Moises Caicedo is down, clutching his calf. Marc Cucurella is also on his haunches, limping and grimacing. Squad rotation will be paramount for Maresca on this US adventure.

09:36 PM BST

70 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Liam Delap very nearly sets up Chelsea’s second. He spun away from his defender, got to Palmer’s ball, and had the strength to beat him to the byline. He cut back for Fernandez, but LAFC lash out for a corner.

From the corner, it is a straightforward link-up between Fernandez and Palmer, a reverse pass, but Palmer goes for power and fires over from 15 yards out. Poor finishing, but Maresca’s men are very close to another goal.

09:32 PM BST

68 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Blocks at both ends, Pedro Neto getting in front of a Delgado ball, then Delgado getting down the other end to block a Fernandez effort on the edge of the box.

Caicedo gives the ball away and it’s two-on-two. However, Bouanga cannot find Giroud as Tosin intervenes. Crucial intervention, but very sloppy from a reliable operator. LAFC are asking a few more questions of Chelsea than they ought to be.

09:29 PM BST

64 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Liam Delap comes on for his Chelsea debut, replacing Nicolas Jackson. Tyrique George is on for Noni Madueke. A big cheer from the Chelsea following in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Meanwhile, Martinez is treading a fine line, tripping Cucurella after losing the ball. The Venezuelan is close to losing his head in the battle with the Spain international.

09:27 PM BST

62 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Cole Palmer jinks and dances between two LAFC defenders, cutting in and out, before Hollingshead stabs out for a corner.

The ball bounces out to Malo Gusto, whose cross is met by Tosin but there is not enough power or proximity to trouble Lloris.

09:24 PM BST

60 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Yellow card for David Martinez. Cucurella blocks his run and the Venezuelan teenager puts his hand in his face, sending the Spaniard to the Atlanta turf. I have seen red cards given for those before.

The MLS side are not going down without a fight, quite literally.

09:22 PM BST

56 mins: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

The long ball almost pays dividends for LAFC. From their own half, Denis Bouanga was found and held off Pedro Neto’s weak challenge. Robert Sanchez stuck out a big right boot to stop his rasping, low shot.

09:20 PM BST

54 mins: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Oof, off the line. Very nearly two. Neto, causing problems on the left, sends in a searching ball and Jackson rises highest. However, Tillman is on the front post, the ball hits his head and rolls out for a corner. I am not sure he knew much about that clearance.

09:18 PM BST

51 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Two chaces in quick succession for the American side. Teenage substitute David Martinez makes the most of space 25 yards out, curling a shot goalwards which skims off Olivier Giroud’s head and out.

Moments later, he gets the better of Cucurella with a check and acceleration before messing up the shot, belting it out off-balance when it looked easier to shoot on target. Dangerous moments for Chelsea to survive.

09:15 PM BST

49 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Los Angeles FC look a little lost when not attacking on the break. Little headway to be made, as Caicedo nicks the ball, doing what he does so well.

After giving possession away wastefully, Pedro Neto leaves his marker for dead. He cuts it back to Jackson, but the Senegal striker is well-marked by Long and pokes the ball out.

09:10 PM BST

Second-half on hold as Giroud forgets his shirt

Time for the second half. A couple of half-time changes for Chelsea, with Reece James and Lavia making way. Perhaps Maresca did not want to risk a sending-off for his captain.

Lavia → Fernandez

James → Gusto

The changes are taking minutes. The players and manager Enzo Maresca show their frustration, gesticulating. Cole Palmer casually sits on the ball in the middle of the pitch, waiting.

Ah, the reason was a missing shirt for Olivier Giroud. A team-mate finds it for him and the French star comes on for Ebobisse. The referee blows the whistle and we are underway again.

08:58 PM BST

Chelsea on top

Nine shots to one for the pre-match favourites and 66% possession. A few glimpses of LAFC threat and a high work-rate, but otherwise, Enzo Maresca ought to be happy enough with the first-half.

Palmer and Jackson have linked up well, as you might expect. Madueke has looked a little sleepy, failing to beat players. No doubt the Chelsea manager will ring in the changes, given the 29-degree heat. Time for Liam Delap to make his first appearance, perhaps.

Chelsea's Portuguese midfielder #07 Pedro Neto (C) celebrates next to Chelsea's Senegalese striker #15 Nicolas Jackson after scoring a goal during the Club World Cup 2025 Group D football match between England's Chelsea and US Los Angeles FC

It’s all love from Pedro Neto (left), blowing kisses to fans next to Nicolas Jackson (right) - AFP/Paul Ellis

08:53 PM BST

Half-time: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Neto, who has been getting a lot of joy on the wing, runs at a couple of LAFC players. As Bouanga hustles it out, the Portuguese challenges him with a bit over-zealously and he has a few words to say about that. Reece James gets involved and suddenly, we’ve got handbags, with a few Chelsea players leading Neto away.

That little bit of needle has rather punctuated the pre-season friendly feel.

08:49 PM BST

45 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

Neto feeds Palmer on the edge of the box, but there are too many white shirts in proximity and his shot is blocked.

As the assistant referee holds up the board showing two minutes of added time, Lavia sloppily loses the ball and Tosin hacks down Ebobisse, accepting his yellow card. They did not want a three-on-three there. The set-piece finds Ebobisse, whose shot is well wide of the mark.

08:46 PM BST

42 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

LAFC break at speed, with two pinpoint cross-field balls: Hollingshead to Palencia on the right, who sends over a deep ball towards the back post. Bouanga is there and nods it down to Ebobisse, who slips at the crucial moment. Tosin gratefully cleans up.

08:43 PM BST

39 min: Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0

A delay for a few minutes as Ordaz is checked for concussion. Reece James goes shoulder to shoulder with Bouanga... and goes into the referee’s book. A yellow card for that is very generous to LAFC.

The American side have reacted in spirited fashion to going a goal down, drawing a few corners. Bouanga almost slips past James from a throw-in, but the captain recovers his composure and the ball.

08:39 PM BST

GOAL!

Chelsea 1 Los Angeles FC 0 (Pedro Neto, 34) Chelsea hustled the ball back, Jackson cut in on the halfway line, Pedro Neto held his run and got in behind the LAFC defence.

As he shaped to shoot, he cut in with a Cruyff turn, sending Hollingshead to the shops, then walloped the ball low into the net at Lloris’ near post. Fine assist from Jackson, skilful play from the Portuguese goal-scorer. He blows kisses to the travelling fans.

08:34 PM BST

32 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Neto is finding pockets of space on the right and his cross is headed away by Hollingshead. He gets a second bite at the cherry 20 seconds later, but it had a little bit too much on it and Madueke cannot bring it down.

There are ten LAFC players behind the ball as Lavia and Caicedo play the ball around in midfield. The pace has dropped in the last few minutes. Chelsea will get more chances tonight; they are trying to stretch the play and force an opportunity.

08:29 PM BST

27 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Man in the mask Moises Caicedo fouls Bouanga 35 yards out. The Gabonese striker dusts himself off to take the free-kick, but it is too far ahead of his fellow LAFC players. No dramas for Robert Sanchez; that is the first thing he has really had to do.

08:26 PM BST

23 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Cole Palmer cuts in and sniffs an opportunity, bending a shot at goal which Lloris helps over the bar. The short corner did not come to much, mind.

They are moving through the gears, dominating possession and threading passes together. However, they still have to be wary - LAFC break with four on six, though Ordaz squanders the move by passing straight to James when looking for a team-mate.

08:22 PM BST

18 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Big chance for Chelsea. Caicedo picked Palencia’s pocket and Jackson gave some fancy footwork before playing in Madueke, sprinting at his shoulder.

His left-footed daisy-cutter was too close to Hugo Lloris, who got down and got a boot to it. The Londoners are starting to overwhelm LAFC with their football IQ and movement.

08:18 PM BST

15 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Neat one-two from Palmer and Jackson on the edge of the box. The England star dummies it for Neto, who wellies a cross to the back post. Madueke has a little daylight, but he cannot bring it down and the half-chance (well, third of a chance) goes begging.

Noni Madueke #11 of Chelsea FC dribbles the ball against Sergi Palencia #14 of LAFC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles Football Club

Chelsea’s Noni Madueke takes on Sergi Palencia of LAFC - Chelsea FC/Darren Walsh

08:14 PM BST

11 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Minutes of calm possession for Chelsea before Palmer gifts it to LAFC with a poor pass. Delgado brings it forward in midfield, breaking at speed, but overhits his through-ball for Denis Bouanga, the ball rolling out at pace.

If they are to shock or even scare their opponents, the MLS side will need to be a bit more classy and clinical.

08:09 PM BST

6 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

Chelsea go through the gears, breaking at speed on the left with Cucurella and Madueke. He puts Jackson through, but he slips as he turns the centre-back, still manging to shoot while on the floor. The ball loops up into the hands of Lloris, and that is our first shot on target.

08:07 PM BST

4 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC

Hollingshead made the most of space to stroll towards the box and Ordaz set up Tillman on the edge of the box. However, he was shy to shoot and the opportunity was squandered.

Down the other end, a similar scene: Cole Palmer shaped to shoot and found Madueke, but there was just enough manpower in front of him to cause inertia and he failed to pull the trigger.

08:04 PM BST

1 min: Chelsea 0 Los Angeles FC 0

The Chelsea players gather in a huddle, share a few final words. Los Angeles kick-off, clad in white shirt and shorts, with black socks, shooting from right to left. Well, eventually, after a ten, nine, eight, seven (and so on) countdown...

Let’s see how Steve Cherundolo’s players fare against Chelsea’s expected high press.

08:01 PM BST

The pre-match atmosphere

08:00 PM BST

From a few minutes ago. Sums it up

Just 15 minutes to kick-off. The photo says it all…

Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Chelsea v LAFC

The Mercedes-Benz stadium, far from capacity tonight - Jason Burt

07:56 PM BST

The players walk out... one by one

Kick-off is five minutes away. It might take five minutes for the players to walk out - past smoke machines pumping in the tunnel, you do not get that at Selhurst Park - with each footballer being announced one-by-one, a bit like track athletes introduced before Olympic finals. (Or WWE wrestlers.) Cole Palmer’s name elicits a loud roar.

There are empty seats galore, especially in the lower tiers, including one directly beneath the tunnel.

07:51 PM BST

A goal for Cole?

His talisman’s performance in the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis notwithstanding, Cole Palmer has gone a little off the boil in recent months. He has not scored in open play since mid-January, netting in the Premier League against Bournemouth.

A virtuoso performance and goal or two tonight would not go amiss.

Warm-up for Palmer and Tosin before Chelsea v LAFC

Cole Palmer (left) and Tosin Adarabioyo warm up - Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Olivier Giroud warms up before the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC

Will 38-year-old Giroud turn back the clock tonight? - AP/Mike Stewart

07:38 PM BST

Line-ups in black and white

Enzo Maresca is not taking any chances, resting few regular first-teamers. Plenty of firepower up front, with Neto, Madueke and Jackson full of pace and power. Hugo Lloris will have a busy night. Delap could be introduced later in the match.

Denis Bouanga is LAFC’s star man, threatening the top of the MLS scoring charts since joining in 2022. Olivier Giroud starts on the bench for the American side.

Chelsea: Sanchez; James (c), Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Colwill; Palmer, Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Madueke, Jackson

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Sarr, Anselmino, Essugo, Enzo, Andrey Santos, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Nkunku, Delap, Guiu

Los Angeles FC: Lloris; Palencia, Hollingshead, Long (c), Segura; I. Jesus; Delgado, Tillman, Ordaz, Ebobisse, Bouanga

Substitutes: Ochoa, Hasal, Chanot, Tafari, Marlon, Saldana, Raposo, Dilrosun, Amaya, Holm, Yeboah, Wibowo, Martinez, Giroud

07:28 PM BST

Chelsea start talks for Lyon’s Belgian winger Fofana

On the eve of this fixture Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca made it clear he expected the club to buy another winger. With Jadon Sancho returning to Manchester United and no deal agreed for Jamie Gittens with Borussia Dortmund, it is an area of the team that Maresca feels Chelsea are light.

And so it has emerged, with reports from France being confirmed, that they have made a verbal enquiry for the 20-year-old Lyon winger Malick Fofana. It is still very early stages in any negotiations for the Belgium international and Lyon will demand a high fee but talks have begun.

07:26 PM BST

Club World Cup: foundering on a wave of indifference?

Although it no doubt takes a lot to embarrass FIFA top brass, the Club World Cup could do it. There is the potential for knackered players wilting in the heat, derisory attendances for an event driven by politics, not fan demand, and a tournament dominated by the European visitors. (Case in point, Bayern’s 10-0 shellacking of amateur team Auckland City.)

You can read Sam Wallace going into these issues - and problematic matches for ticket arrangements - here.

07:21 PM BST

Lloris and LAFC’s ambitions on home soil

Leon, the winners of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, were set to be here but were expelled from the tournament due to violating the governing body’s multi-club ownership regulations.

So, Los Angeles FC punched their ticket for this competition six weeks ago. Denis Bounaga sealed an extra-time 2-1 win over Mexico’s Club America.

Here’s how their French goalkeeper, familiar to many Spurs fans and Premier League followers, sees their chances.

Hugo Lloris played a key role in winning the play-off, by making a crucial save in extra-time. “Obviously we have nothing to lose, especially against an opponent like Chelsea,” he said.

“But we want to compete. We want to give our best, even if we know our chances are really thin. We just want to make our fans proud of us.

“I think it is a great chance, a great opportunity for our team to compete against this type of club for the evolution of players, of our team. Also, for the next step this season. It is important to play that type of game to see where our level is.”

Lloris, whose contract is up at the end of this year, added: “I cannot hide that the standard of the other opponents are higher than ours. Especially Chelsea, then Flamengo and (Esperance) Tunis is a competitive club in Africa. Listen, we just want to come here to enjoy the competition, try to get the best result we can but we also have to be realistic.”

07:12 PM BST

Air con on full blast in Atlanta

The retractable roof is closed inside this hugely impressive 71,000-seat stadium which Atlanta United boast is the best ‘soccer’ arena in the United States. They may well be right. Given the kick-off time is 3pm and it is 29 degrees celsius outside, and humid, then it will be a relief to the players that the roof has been shut. The climate control system inside is in full force - using 9,000 tonnes of air conditioning. So environmentally, it feels a lot more questionable.

The big question for Fifa with this fixture is just how full the stadium will be. It holds 71,000 but the expectation is that it will reach nowhere near that. Indeed some officials fear the attendance could be as low as 25,000 and there were certainly vast swathes of areas which looked empty on the website of the official ticket-seller, Ticketmaster. It is a 3pm kick-off on a weekday but, still, if the stadium is barely a third full that will not be a good look for the Club World Cup.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one of America’s finest for soccer - Jason Burt

07:08 PM BST

LAFC’s line-up

07:03 PM BST

Chelsea opt for Jackson up front and strong XI

Here is your Chelsea line-up. Nicolas Jackson is preferred up front to Liam Delap.

Reece James starts as captain, with fellow England internationals Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill all appearing. Romeo Lavia gets a rare run-out too.

06:53 PM BST

How Chelsea got into this tournament

The Club World Cup features clubs from each of the six international confederations and there were 12 places available for European clubs, decided by Champions League performances over the past four seasons.

As a result, recent European Cup winners Chelsea (2021) and Manchester City (2023) qualified. Only two clubs per nation can qualify, meaning 2022 Champions League finalists Liverpool were not included.

On their (kind of) previous appearance in the smaller iteration of this tournament in 2021, Chelsea went all the way, beating Palmeiras in the final.

06:44 PM BST

Preview: Chelsea’s twilight zone opener

Good evening, and welcome to our coverage of the Club World Cup Group D tie between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC.

A gentle opener for the freshly-minted Europa Conference League champions, then, in a revamped, beefed-up, 32-team tournament surfing a wave of indifference. £30 million signing Liam Delap might make his debut top, with fellow newbies Mamadou Sarr, Mike Penders and Dario Essugo also in the squad.

Even with the club’s bloated squad and a few days’ break following their win over Real Betis, there will be a fair few creaking legs and weary minds. This will be Chelsea’s 58th competitive match of the season (is it even still the 2024-25 season or a strange twilight zone?) before going on to face fellow group occupiers Flamengo and ES Tunis, who play tonight at 2am BST, in the next fortnight.

Trevoh Chalobah, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill all featured for England six days ago in Nottingham against Senegal, which was just a tad cooler than the 29-degree temperatures they will encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Still, no rest for the committed. “The first thing I said, and the main message since we returned, is that we are not here for pre-season. It is a big, big tournament,” manager Enzo Maresca said pre-game.

Keen to avoid his players grabbing a cocktail and going comatose on their laurels, Maresca feared their opening match could be “very difficult ... I think because of the technology today, any game can be difficult. They can watch many games about us,” he said.

Opponents Los Angeles FC (LAFC), who include Stamford Bridge alumnus Olivier Giroud and ex-Spurs Hugo Lloris in their ranks, will no doubt be better attuned to the conditions and time zone. Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga has been prolific for them in the MLS too.

However, the in-form British team have eight wins from their last nine and are likely to possess too much quality and guile for the side positioned fifth in the Western Conference. It would be a big surprise if Chelsea fail to win as they look to qualify from Group D (by finishing in the top two spots) and progress into the competition’s knockout rounds.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST for UK followers, 3pm local time in Atlanta, Georgia. Line-up news coming very soon.

06:39 PM BST

Maresca: how Delap can be England’s star striker

Enzo Maresca is convinced that Chelsea’s new centre-forward Liam Delap will succeed Harry Kane and become England’s “number nine”.

Ahead of Chelsea’s first group game in the Club World Cup, against Los Angeles FC, there is much anticipation as to whether Delap will be given his debut.

And the new £30 million signing – who has joined up with Chelsea rather than play for England as they aim to retain the Under-21 European Championship title – is indeed expected to feature against the MLS side.

Maresca refused to confirm this but talked enthusiastically about how much potential he feels the former Ipswich Town striker – who he coached when they were together at Manchester City, working with the Under-23s – has.

“Before we faced Ipswich - so Liam was not a Chelsea player - I said that for me, Liam, potentially he can be England number nine. So, he was not even with us,” Maresca said.

“And, for sure, now that he’s with us, I’m going to say again that I don’t have any doubt that he can be in the future England number nine.”

Chelsea beat off competition from Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton to activate the release clause and sign the 22-year-old on a six-year deal with Maresca insisting he had not given any assurances that he will play over Nicolas Jackson.

“I never say to a player you want to be a first-choice,” he said. “The message is always the same: ‘you arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other number nine and you want to be a number nine first-choice’. So, the conversation with Liam has been quite clear. He was keen to join us because he knows the way we play, the season that we were together.

“He scored 24 goals. So, he knows exactly what we can give him and I know what Liam can give us. I think it’s a win/win and the conversation was quite an easy conversation. We like Liam; Liam likes us.”

Delap will wear the No 9 shirt, which has been vacant since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Chelsea almost two years ago. It has proved to be something of a curse for a series of forwards at the club including Aubameyang, Mateja Kezman, Hernan Crespo, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku. It is a long list but it is also a sign of Delap’s confidence that he has, nevertheless, still readily taken it.

“Liam knows quite well how important the No 9 shirt is for this club. I don’t see any problem about that,” Maresca said. “I see Liam quite relaxed, easy, he’s doing well, since he arrived he’s working well. We know each other already from years ago. So I know what Liam can give us, he knows what we can give to him to improve and to become a better player. And, again, in terms of number nine, hopefully he can score goals for us.”

Liam Delap of Chelsea during a training session at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex

Liam Delap during a Philadelphia training session with his new club - Getty Images/Darren Walsh

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