ES Tunis vs Chelsea predictions: Blues can seal round-of-16 spot
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- Chelsea have won nine of their last 11 fixtures
- ES Tunis have lost five of eight Club World Cup matches
- Recommended bet: Chelsea -1 on handicap
Chelsea might have anticipated smooth progress in Club World Cup Group D but they are instead heading for a tense final match against ES Tunis which will decide which of the teams progresses to the round of 16.
Top spot is no longer possible for the Blues, who suffered a major setback last Friday when losing 3-1 to Flamengo.
However, they are well-placed in the battle for second with just a single point needed to ensure a place in the knockout rounds.
ES Tunis moved onto three points by beating Los Angeles FC 1-0, but they must follow that with a victory over Chelsea if they are to advance at the expense of the Premier League side.
Team news
ES Tunis attackers Abdramane Konate and Elias Mokwana replaced Yan Sasse and Chiheb Jebali for the 1-0 victory over Los Angeles FC and are in contention to keep their places.
Rodrigo Rodrigues has started both matches in the number nine position and should continue as the focal point for the north African side.
Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson is suspended after his red card in the 3-1 loss to Flamengo.
Liam Delap should continue in attack and there is the possibility of a formation change from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 with Noni Madueke in line for a recall and one of the midfield three (Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia) asked to step aside.
The stats
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Chelsea have won two of their last three matches by at least two goals.
The Blues have kept clean sheets in four of their last seven fixtures.
Chelsea have scored the first goal in four of their last five fixtures.
ES Tunis have scored in 24 of their last 26 matches.
Prediction
Chelsea have struggled for consistency at the Club World Cup but they could be a threat to anyone in the knockout rounds and can ease through to the round of 16 with a high-scoring success over ES Tunis.
There is room for improvement for the Blues, who followed a fairly comfortable 2-0 triumph over Los Angeles FC with a surprise 3-1 loss to Flamengo.
However, Enzo Maresca’s side are likely to have learned from that latest experiences and should reach a high enough level to cope with the Blood and Gold, who are the fourth seeds in the section.
Esperance kept their hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Los Angeles FC, but they are facing a significant step up in class against the Blues and may struggle to avoid a heavy defeat.
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