IN IT TO WIN IT

ESPERANCE moet lig loop for Chelsea in their Club World Cup clash at Lincoln Financial Field at 3am tomorrow morning. 

The Blues are hurt after suffering a shock 3-2 Group D defeat to ex-defender David Luiz’s Brazilian log leaders Flamengo, who face bottom-of-the-pile Los Angeles FC at the same time.

A draw will be enough for the Blues to advance to the next round, with the club level on points with tomorrow’s opponents but with a superior goal difference. 

Flamengo have already booked their place in the next round. 

Pedro Neto, who opened the scoring against Flamengo before the Brazilians ran riot, says Chelsea are not in the US to make up the numbers; they are there to win the tournament. 

Neto told the club website: “We are here to win it. If we are to win it, we have to take those conditions with us and work even harder.

“I am always confident. We are Chelsea, we play to win, and we have an unbelievable team.

“So it's like I said: we have to continue to win experience, to have matches in the legs, to continue to work hard, and to be consistent.

“We have to be thankful; we are here playing this tournament. There would be a lot of players who would love to be in my place [at the Club World Cup].”

Group C is the other group that will conclude tonight at 9pm, with Bayern Munich already through to the playoffs ahead of their final group match against second-placed Benfica. 

Boca Juniors - three points behind Benfica - need a miracle against whipping boys Auckland to make up  the points and a seven strike goal-difference on Benfica. 

Chelsea’s fellow English Premier League club Manchester City, meanwhile, gave Al Ain ses vannie bestes on Sunday night, beating them 6-0 with Ilkay Gundogan scoring a double to qualify alongside Juventus from Group G.

The two qualified teams face each other on Thursday.