Chelsea-Los Angeles FC: A Premier League flavor for Giroud and Lloris at the Club World Cup
The two former French internationals, partners at Los Angeles FC for nearly a year, are preparing to return to the top level this Monday evening against Chelsea, for their Club World Cup debuts.
By Hugo Rondet with AFPOne wore the Blues jersey from 2018 to 2021, the other crossed swords with the southwest London club on numerous occasions during his eleven seasons spent guarding the Tottenham goal. Los Angeles FC's French veterans, Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris , both 38, kick off their Club World Cup this Monday in Atlanta (9 p.m.) against Chelsea, a sweet reminder of their years in the Premier League. An opportunity they intend to seize.
"We're excited, we're very motivated," Giroud assured at a press conference. It must be said that LAFC's participation was far from planned. Indeed, the Californian club won a playoff against Mexican side Club America on May 31 to replace Leon, ousted by FIFA for violating timeshare regulations.
The French team's all-time leading scorer intends to use this surprise qualification to highlight MLS and the growth of football in the United States. "It's a great opportunity (...) to showcase the quality of the league, the fact that football has become more important over the past ten or fifteen years," he said. "It's an opportunity to show Europe what we're made of."
By chance of the draw, Giroud will enter the tournament against Chelsea, a team with whom he has enjoyed great success, including the Champions League title in the 2020-2021 season.
“The club has changed a lot,” he recalled. “Among those who are still there, I think I only played with Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah. It’s still a good feeling, because even in the United States, there are many Chelsea or Arsenal fans. They only have compliments to give me about my years there. It allows you to realize that I had a good impact on the club, the employees and the fans. I won magnificent trophies with them (Europa League in 2019, Champions League in 2021), I will never forget, they will always have a special place in my heart.”
It is, however, uncertain whether the center forward will start the match as a starter, as he has struggled to make his mark in Los Angeles since his arrival last summer (5 goals in 34 matches). A substitute for the past month and a half, the Frenchman scored his third goal of the season last week, coming off the bench, in a 3-1 victory against Sporting Kansas City.
Hugo Lloris, for his part, will most likely be on the pitch at kickoff. A regular starter in goal since his arrival at the start of 2024, the former captain of the French national team was delighted to be discovering a new competition in L'Équipe on Saturday.
"Being involved in the first Club World Cup is historic and pretty cool, even if you have to put things into context: we're still a small club compared to the other clubs involved," he added, ready to take advantage of the Blues' fatigue.
"Chelsea had a great season. They're a young, solid team. But then there's always that (physical) question mark. I've been in that situation: the European season is over, it's been long, we finish with international matches, and we have to start again from the bottom. We can't anticipate their physical and mental resources. Will there be any management in the first round?" The answer will be given this Monday evening at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Le Parisien
