ES Tunis vs Chelsea in the Club World Cup
The Blues are in Philadelphia tonight looking for the point needed to reach the Club World Cup knockout stage. A deserved defeat to Flamengo last week delayed Chelsea's progress party, but they will meet Benfica in the last-16 stage on Sunday with a draw tonight.
Nicolas Jackson was sent off as second-half goals from Bruno Henrique, Danilo and Wallace Yan brushed the Blues aside last time out, and Enzo Maresca will be demanding improvement against a team with also one win and one defeat to their name, having also lost to Flamengo and beaten LAFC.
It leaves the two teams level on points heading into this Group D decider, but as they boast a goal difference one better than their Tunisian counterparts, then a point is enough for Chelsea to advance. ES Tunis, though, need to win so must take the game to the Blues in Philly. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca could make changes to his line-up following their disappointing 3-1 defeat to Flamengo last time out.
There will be no appearance from Nicolas Jackson, who is suspended following his straight red card four minutes after coming off the bench against Flamengo.
A second start is therefore likely to be handed to Liam Delap, who assisted on his debut in the 2-0 win of Los Angeles FC and made his full debut last time out.
Reece James was poor in midfield against Flamengo and subsequently absent from training through illness ahead of the Tunis match, meaning he may be set miss out. Colwill was also ill leading up to the tie, but trained through the issue.
Noni Madueke is likely to return to the front four from the off, and many fans will hope there is space in the team for the talented 21-year-old midfielder Andrey Santos.
Pedro Neto has scored in both of Chelsea’s games in the United States so far and is expected to start.
Axel Disasi, Djordje Petrovic, Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix were left out of the Club World Cup squad ahead of their likely exits from the club, while Wesley Fofana remains injured.
Chelsea FC via Getty Images
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on 5 (formerly known as Channel 5), which is free-to-air. Coverage starts at 1am BST in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with kick-off at 2am.
Live stream: Viewers can also watch the action live online via channel5.com and the DAZN website, which are both free with a registration.
DAZN is the global broadcaster of the new-look Club World Cup and will show all 63 matches of the competition.
No subscription is required to watch the game, with the entire tournament available to their 'Freemium' members, which means you only need to sign up for a free DAZN account.
Progression to the knockout stage is not yet confirmed for the Blues after they suffered a surprise defeat to Flamengo last time out, losing 3-1 after leading at the break. They will face Benfica in the knockout stage should they draw tonight.
Nicolas Jackson, relegated to the bench as Liam Delap made his full debut, was shown a red card mere minutes after his introduction for a rash studs-up tackle, casting further doubt on his future in Enzo Maresca’s side.
Tunis, the so-called ‘Beast of Africa’, lost 2-0 to Flamengo in their debut at the new-look competition, before scraping a 1-0 win over LAFC by way of Youcef Belaïli’s 70th-minute strike. The striker will be suspended for Wednesday’s tie, though, having picked up bookings in both of Tunis’ prior Club World Cup ties.
The tie will be the first time Chelsea have ever faced an African side in a competitive fixture. Likewise, it will be the first time Tunis meet an English side in a competitive tie.