Mike penders

Club World Cup: Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has delivered a clear message to players and fans ahead of the club's opening game in the Club World Cup 2025. The Conference League champions will face Los Angeles FC in their first match of the tournament, whose timing and toll on player fatigue have drawn criticism. Still, Maresca emphasised that Chelsea have come to the United States with only one goal: to win.

Tuesday's clash at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the opener in Group D, which also includes Brazilian club Flamengo and Tunisian side ES Tunis. Chelsea are favourites to progress, but handling that pressure is nothing new to Maresca's squad after their Conference League campaign.

"When you are the Chelsea head coach or if you are a Chelsea player, you must always try to win. It doesn't matter if it's the Club World Cup or another competition - that is what is expected," he said, as quoted by Xinhua.