LAFC vs. Chelsea prediction, projected lineup and how to watch | OneFootball

Los Angeles FC will be the third and final MLS team to begin its 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign when it takes on Chelsea on Monday afternoon in Atlanta.

LAFC only learned for sure it would be competing in the tournament two weeks ago after defeating Club America 2-1 after extra time in a somewhat hastily contrived one-match playoff. That decided the tournament berth that had to be vacated by Club Leon after FIFA disqualified the Mexican club because it shared ownership with another tournament entrant, CF Pachuca.

Meanwhile, Chelsea was one of the very first teams to secure a spot in the competition by way of their 2020-2021 UEFA Champions League title. They're heading back to the UCL in 2025-2026 after a two-year absence by way of their fourth-place Premier League finish, and are also coming off their UEFA Europa Conference League triumph after defeating Real Betis 4-1 in last month's final.

Here's everything you need to know as the Black-and-Gold try to spring a massive upset on The Blues.

How to watch LAFC vs. Chelsea

Time: Monday, June 16, 3 pm ET

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Tickets: Click here

TV & Streaming in the US: TBS, TruTV, TUDN, UniMas, DAZN

LAFC and Chelsea projected lineups

Former USMNT fullback Steve Cherundolo has preferred a 4-3-3 through his tenure at LAFC. But if he wanted to revert to a more defensive-minded shape with a back three or a back five, he has the center backs to do so.

Aaron Long and Eddie Segura are the preferred pairing. But Marlon has also played significant minutes, and less-used veteran Maxime Chanot still would provide cover off the bench if a second-half replacement was needed somewhere along the way.

The Blues have mostly played a 4-2-3-1 under Enzo Maresca of late, and it feels unlikely they would significantly alter their shape for a game in which they have a far higher pedigree.

Most of Maresca's key contributors are expected to be available, though it's possible he could choose to bring some of them off the bench on Matchday 1 to keep some powder dry for additional group matches against Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis.

LAFC projected lineup (4-3-3, right to left)

Hugo Lloris (GK) - Sergi Palencia, Aaron Long, Eddie Segura, Ryan Hollingshead - Tim Tillman, Igor, Mark Delgado - Nathan Ordaz, Jeremy Ebobisse, Denis Bouanga

Chelsea projected lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)

Filip Jorgensen (GK) - Malo Gusto, Trevo Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella - Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez - Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke - Nicolas Jackson

LAFC vs. Chelsea prediction

If you're LAFC, the good news is conventional wisdom says you'd rather face Chelsea now than later in the tournament. After the emotion of fighting for Champions League places and winning the Conference League, if there was going to be an emotional letdown, Matchday 1 is when it would most likely come.

The bad news is Chelsea will have had about three weeks to process that emotion and prepare for the task. And the worst news? They're just miles better.

That's no insult to LAFC, who have built one of the most consistently contending squads on the MLS level, and have some real big match experience in the squad in former France stars Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris. But it's not enough to put any sort of real scare into what is probably one of the 10 most talented teams on Earth.

The most likely scenario? Chelsea gets a lead early, then steps off the throttle a bit to be polite to their MLS opponents. And maybe that big match pedigree helps keep the final score closer than the flow of the match.