ES Tunis vs. Chelsea: Enzo Maresca comments on extreme Philadelphia conditions for pivotal Club World Cup game

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he and his players will face extreme conditions when they face Esperance Tunis in the Club World Cup on Tuesday night.

The Blues and their Tunisian opponents head into their Group D fixture knowing that a win will be enough to earn a place in the last 16.

From Chelsea's perspective, they only need a point due to their superior goal difference, but the Premier League giants face a different kind of test with the conditions.

Excessive heat warnings have already been made with the temperatures reaching as high as 37C and 38C on Monday and Tuesday.

Maresca has already cut short Chelsea's training session on Monday in order to conserve energy for the game at Lincoln Financial Field.

What has Maresca said on Philadelphia weather?

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Maresca has insisted that the heat will not be used as an excuse it Chelsea miss out on the knockout stages.

The Italian said: "It is almost impossible to train because of the weather. Now, we are trying to save energy for the game.

"This morning's session has been very, very short. It has just been about the plan for tomorrow. No more than that because, as you can see, it is not easy with this temperature."

He added: "I always try to avoid excuse. I always try to be honest. It is not about excuse, it is about reality. An excuse is when he say it is hot and it is not hot. That is excuse.

"If it is hot, it is hot, and it is difficult to work with this temperature. But we are here, we are trying to do our best, and we will try to win tomorrow's game.

"That is the only thing that we can say and we can do. It is impossible to do a normal session otherwise you do not save energy for the game."

What will Maresca's approach be?

Maresca has already reiterated earlier in the tournament that he will rotate his players, and that will be the case on Tuesday.

Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Pedro Neto have either completed 90 minutes twice or have played the vast majority of the opening two games.

The same applies to Cole Palmer, and Maresca has hinted that they will be some of the players who drop down to the substitutes' bench.

Written by
Darren Plant