Chelsea vs. Los Angeles FC live stream, where to watch Club World Cup online for free: Odds, pick, prediction

The last side to book their place at the Club World Cup face off against one of the first to have stamped their passage to the United States on Sunday as Chelsea and Los Angeles FC meet at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Arena. Chelsea are in the competition by dint of winning the UEFA Champions League in 2021, though much has changed since the Blues lifted their second European Cup four years ago. Indeed, with Olivier Giroud on their roster, LAFC can field as many of Thomas Tuchel's squad from that night as Enzo Maresca can, his side captained by Reece James.

As for LAFC, their status at the competition is rather more contentious. An opportunity emerged for the Californians only when the Court of Arbitration for Sport backed FIFA's ruling that Leon could not take part due to their shared ownership with Pachuca. A playoff against Club America was won in dramatic fashion as Denis Bouanga netted a 115th-minute winner, meaning Steve Cherundolo's side are the third MLS representative at the Club World Cup.

If they are to extend their involvement in the competition beyond the group stage, they will have to get the better of Esperance de Tunis and an impressive Flamengo side. Chelsea, meanwhile, are strong favorites to top the group.

Viewing information

• Date: Monday, June 16 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
• Location: Mercedes Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, GA
• Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
• Odds: Chelsea: -333; Draw +400; LAFC +850

Last meeting

This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams.

Predicted lineups

Chelsea: Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto; Nicolas Jackson

LAFC: Hugo Lloris; Sergi Palencia, Aaron Long, Maxime Chanot, Ryan Hollingshead; Igor Jesus, Tillman, Mark Delgado; Denis Bouanga, Oliver Giroud, Yaw Yeboah

Player to watch

Olivier Giroud, LAFC: It has been a disappointing start to life in MLS for former Chelsea striker Giroud, scorer of only five goals in 33 games for LAFC. Still, given that he is only 14 games into his season, he will feel he has a chance to impose himself on former teammates who have arrived in America at the end of gruelling campaigns. "These European, top European teams, they will maybe feel a bit tired after a long season, so it may be an advantage," Giroud said.

"It's always nice to stay positive. Some of them have played 60, 70, 75 games already, so I think that's a good test for the MLS teams. We need to grab that chance to show Europe what we're made of."

Storyline to watch

Can Delap break the No. 9 curse? It's in at the deep end for former Ipswich striker Liam Delapy, signed by the Blues in time to join Maresca's squad at the Club World Cup. Delap has taken on a No. 9 shirt which few have worn with distinction over the years; Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among those to have had about as much penalty box success as Khalid Boulahrouz. There will be pressure on Delap, much coveted by Premier League clubs this summer, to break the cycle of scorelessness.

Prediction

The rest will have done Chelsea well, and this tournament may suit their cautious but possession-dominant style of play. Expect them to get up and running in style. Pick: Chelsea 3, LAFC 0

Latest newsGet your footy fix with CBS Sports Golazo Network and more

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.