Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris admits Chelsea are at a “different level” and that his side are the minnows of the group at the Club World Cup.
The former Tottenham captain, now 38, will face English opposition again at the tournament in the United States at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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When asked about LAFC’s prospects, after they won a play-off match against Mexican side Club America, he said: “We have nothing to lose, especially against an opponent like Chelsea. It will be hard, European clubs can do everything quicker.
“We come here with a lot of humility. We just take it game by game. I cannot hide that the standard of the other opponents are higher than ours. Especially Chelsea, then Flamengo and Tunis is a competitive club in Africa.
“Listen, we just want to come here to enjoy the competition, try to get the best result we can but we also have to be realistic, to compare an MLS game and a Club World Cup game is really hard.”
The former World Cup-winning goalkeeper with France added it isn’t just European clubs that have player workload concerns with the addition of another competition, adding: “To be honest with you, when I came to the MLS, I expected a rhythm of games less intense than in Europe but then you realise you travel a lot.
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“Everywhere is the same, there are a lot of competitions and players have to adapt to the schedule.
“For us, as soon as we finish the tournament, we have to go back to a routine of the MLS games which is not easy either. I am not here to question the schedule. I am just here to tell you we are enjoying being here and to do our best.”
Lloris also said the match has no special significance as a former Spurs player but that he still “follows the news” about the club, and saw that manager Ange Postecoglou was sacked despite winning the Europa League and was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank last week.
He added: “Nothing surprises me in football. But I don’t know what happened inside the club so it really hard for me to judge. If they made this decision it is because they believe there is another option which is better for the future of the club.
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“Thomas Frank did amazing job at Brentford. But Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit, the players as well, it is not easy to win that kind of competition
“What Ange Postecoglou did was just remarkable. He brought this Europa League trophy, he brought a lot of joy to the Spurs community, a lot of pride as well and we all have to be thankful for that.”
