Twelve days after his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Liam Delap will have a chance to debut for his new side. Not in the Premier League and far from home, though, as Chelsea will face Los Angeles FC (22.00) in their first match at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.However, apart from trying to “break the ice” when it comes to goals, the 22-year-old will try to break another thing – the curse of Chelsea’s #9.Chelsea have axed 4 players for World Cup…worth 145 million euros!Namely, numerous players in the past 20 years have worn the number common for a striker, but most of them fell short with the Blues, despite busting nets before arriving in London.Ever since Mateja Kezman in the 2004/2005 season, and excluding non-strikers like Khalid Boulahrouz and Steve Sidwell, Chelsea’s “cursed number” has deteriorated some renowned scorers such as Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Hernan Crespo and Tammy Abraham met the expectations but only to some extent.Six years ago, Chelsea signed Gonzalo Higuaín from Juventus on a loan deal to be their latest to wear No. 9. The curse still lives on 💀 pic.twitter.com/GdNajGJrpI— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 23, 2025 One of the former Blues strikers will be on the opposite side tonight, as Olivier Giroud will lead the US side’s attack. Truth be told, he didn’t wear #9 with the London crew but had a similar experience at AC Milan a few years ago.That’s why he offered some interesting advice to Delap, trying to boost the youngster’s confidence.”When I signed for Milan, Paolo Maldini told me on the first Zoom I had with him, ‘Are you sure about No.9? It’s kind of cursed’. I said it’s not about the number I have on my back which will make me be good and score goals. No, I want the nine. And then I’ve showed him there was no curse, I was doing well.”🗣️ Asked Olivier Giroud about Liam Delap and the pressure of wearing No.9. “When I signed for Milan, Paolo Maldini told me, ‘Are you sure about No.9? It’s kind of cursed… I said, ‘No, I want the nine!’ I showed him there was no curse. [Delap] is very talented. He’ll be fine.” pic.twitter.com/mCtnuX5E63— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 13, 2025 “It’s not about the number nine, it’s about the position on the field and being a striker is very, very demanding. You can be under the spotlight when things go really well, but you are the first also on the front line when you are not scoring goals.””You have to show some character and strength mentality wise. You need to be strong in your head, even in the tough moments stay confident and keep working hard. There’s a lot of pressure when you play striker but for me it’s the best in football. There’s ups and downs, you need to be ready for that,” Giroud “the advisor” said via The Standard.FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025Matchday 1SundayAl Ahly Cairo – Inter Miami 0-0Bayern Munich – Auckland City 10-0 (6-0)/Coman 6,21, Boey 18, Olise 20, 45+3, Muller 45,89, Musiala 67, 73 pen, 84/PSG – Atletico Madrid 3-0 (2-0)/Ruiz 19, Vitinha 45+1, Mayulu 87/MondayPalmeiras – Porto 0-0Botafogo – Seattle 2-1 (2-0)/Jair 28, Igor Jesus 44 – Roldan 75/Monday22:00: (1.20) Chelsea (7.75) Los Angeles (16.0)Tuesday00:55: (5.15) Boca Juniors (3.85) Benfica (1.70)04:00: (1.35) Flamengo (5.20) Esperance (9.15)19:00: (6.75) Fluminense (4.30) Dortmund (1.55)22:00: (1.60) River Plate (3.90) Urawa RD (6.00)Wednesday00:55: (2.90) Ulsan (3.15) Mamelodi (2.55)04:00: (5.90) Monterrey (4.00) Inter Milan (1.58)19:00: (1.07) Manchester City (13.0) Wydad Casablanca (25.0)22:00: (1.33) Real Madrid (5.90) Al Hilal (9.50)Thursday00:55: (2.85) Pachuca (3.35) Salzburg (2.50)04:00: (12.0) Al Ain (6.50) Juventus (1.22)***odds are subject to change***
