ES Tunis vs Chelsea Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Esperance kept themselves in the hunt for qualification from Group D, in dramatic fashion courtesy of Tunisia’s first-choice goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said’s heroics. With immense pressure mounting on the crucial 100th minute penalty being the difference between ES Tunis clinching maximum points with a (1-0) victory against LAFC, or having to settle for a share of the spoils, Ben Said came to the rescue with a strong left handed save.
“Gave us the feeling that we can keep playing.” ES Tunis’ coach was thrilled by the opportunity of continuing their FIFA Club World Cup journey in high spirits.
Maher Kanzari has only tasted defeat twice since being appointed manager at The Beast of Africa, earlier this season. His first match at the helm of ES Tunis was a narrow (1-0) defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of their CAF Champions League quarter-final clash away in South Africa.
Their second loss under Kanzari was an unsettling (2-0) defeat at the hands of Brazilian club Flamengo in their CWC opener. ES Tunis had to bounce back against LAFC in their following game, withstanding an early onslaught by the MLS club who were flagged offside three times in the first half after finding the back of the net.
Ultimately, soaking up constant waves of LAFC attacks to score their only goal of the tournament through Algerian forward Youcef Belaili and hang on by the skin of their teeth after Ben Said made an incredible save, moments before the final whistle.

Chelsea navigated through an intensely competitive fixture list during the business end of the last campaign, enroute to sealing qualification to the UEFA Champions League and claiming the UEFA Conference League title.
The Blues have suffered two losses in their last six games, winning four of those games under heavy pressure in Enzo Maresca’s first season in the hotseat. Following the autopsy of both defeats to Newcastle United and Flamengo, it can largely be narrowed down to striker Nicolas Jackson receiving red cards, on both occasions for making unnecessarily dangerous tackles.

Eager to have an impact for his club, Jackson issued an apology on social media afterwards, "Another red card… And honestly, I'm so angry at myself. I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation. I still don't fully understand how it happened. But one thing is clear, it wasn't intentional. Just a moment in football that went the wrong way.”
"No excuses. I take full responsibility. I'll reflect, I'll grow, and I'll come back stronger for the badge and for everyone who believes in me. The Senegalese striker wrote.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." But unfortunately, it seems like the writing is on the wall for Jackson after the recent arrival of Liam Delap and possibly another centre forward to bolster the Blues forward line before the much-anticipated 2025/26 Premier League season begins.
However, one could argue that despite both costly red cards, Jackson is yet to significantly cost Chelsea, as the Blues still achieved their 2024/25 season objectives. The Premier League giants are fully expected to display their class against ES Tunis to reach the CWC knockout stages.
Speaking after the loss to Flamengo, Chelsea boss Maresca admitted to making few experiments to their tactics with next season in mind, “Unfortunately, we conceded two goals in a very short period, a very short moment and then the red card. Then it’s very complicated to come back into the game. 

“I think we tried to do something different during the game, also for next season, but congratulations to them. Now we have one more game and we are going to try to win the next one.”