🔊 Can Benfica overcome Chelsea? Friends, the second match of the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 presents a clash between the Portuguese runners-up and the UEFA Conference League champions. In Charlotte, Lisbon's Benfica will face off against London's Chelsea. Bookmakers have Chelsea as the favorites, but let's not rush with predictions—Benfica's impressive performance in the group stage is worth noting. More on that below. Remember, the winner of this matchup advances to the quarter-finals, where they will face the victor of the Brazilian derby between Palmeiras and Botafogo.

Head-to-Head

📊 The last encounter between these teams was over a decade ago, so relying on the results of those matches to assess the current situation would be inaccurate.

Benfica Lisbon Team Overview

🦅 Under the guidance of Bruno Lage, the Eagles have advanced to the playoffs following a strong performance in Group C, where they faced Argentina's Boca Juniors, New Zealand's Auckland City, and Germany's Bayern Munich – not exactly an easy lineup.

🔴 Benfica kicked off with a match against Boca, where they showed remarkable resilience to come back from 0-2 down and secure a 2-2 draw. Notably, the goals came from two Argentinians: Ángel Di María and Nicolás Otamendi.

⚪ In their second outing, the Eagles confidently dispatched Auckland with a commanding 6-0 victory. Di María bagged a brace, as did Leandro Barreiro, while Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches each added a goal.

🔝 The final round was decisive in the clash with Bayern. A draw would have been enough for the Portuguese side to reach the Round of 16, but they opted not to play it safe. By the 13th minute, Benfica executed a brilliant attack finished off by Norwegian Andreas Schjelderup after a cross from another Argentinian, Gianluca Prestianni. The game remained end-to-end, but the score held at 1-0. As a result, Benfica topped the group with 7 points.

Chelsea Team Overview

🏆 After clinching the UEFA Conference League title, Enzo Maresca's squad headed to the USA for the Club World Cup. In Group D, Chelsea faced off against local side Los Angeles, Brazil's Flamengo, and Tunisia's Espérance.

🔵 In their opening match, the Blues comfortably defeated Los Angeles 2-0. The goals came from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.

⚪ In the second match, Chelsea encountered a tougher challenge against Flamengo, who pulled off a surprising 3-1 victory. Pedro Neto once again found the net for Chelsea's only goal.

🔗 In the final group stage match, Chelsea needed to determine with Espérance who deserved a spot in the playoffs. By halftime, the question was settled: the Londoners struck twice with goals from defender Tosin Adarabioyo and newcomer forward Liam Delap. In the closing stages, winger Tyrique George sealed the deal. The result was a commanding 3-0 win, securing second place in the group.

Latest news

Benfica Lisbon

🔝 Ángel Di María stands as Benfica's top scorer and one of the tournament's leading marksmen, having netted three goals. Notably, all three of the Argentine's goals have come from penalties. It's worth mentioning that after his contract with Benfica concludes following this tournament, Di María will return to Rosario Central, the club where he began his professional career.

🎙️ After their victory over Bayern, Benfica's head coach Bruno Lage offered a brief reflection on his team's performance: “It was a team effort. I believe that's our main strength—along with having faced Bayern before and understanding the challenge they present. We've learned from those encounters. Most importantly, it was about how we managed possession. I think we did very well. When there was an opportunity for a quick attack, we took it. When it was necessary to control the ball and advance it, we handled that too. Ultimately, we've achieved a lot, especially in terms of team play. We've topped the group and are moving forward.”

❌ Benfica still face personnel issues. Right-back Alexander Bah and defensive midfielder Manu Silva remain sidelined with cruciate ligament tears. Additionally, center-back Tomas Araujo missed all three group stage matches (the extent of his injury is unknown). A notable incident involved Gianluca Prestianni: during the match against Bayern, he appeared unwell—lying on the pitch with his hands over his head, presumably due to heatstroke. Fortunately, Prestianni was able to continue playing but was substituted in the 55th minute by Orkun Kökçü.

💊 On a positive note, defender Álvaro Carreras and forward Andrea Belotti are set to return to the squad following their suspensions.

Chelsea

🎙️ Enzo Maresca commented on the emphatic victory over Esperance: “We are very happy. After the loss to Flamengo, we wanted to win to continue building a winning mentality. The players performed exceptionally well, and now we can focus on the next match. We were all thrilled for Delap—it's great to have him with us and already scoring.”

📰 Meanwhile, renowned insider Fabrizio Romano reported that Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund have resumed negotiations regarding the transfer of winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. According to his information, the parties are close to an agreement and continue discussions in the United States.

💷 In other transfer news, it's worth noting that goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has moved to Arsenal for 5 million pounds sterling.

💊 Ahead of the match against Benfica, Enzo Maresca rested most of the first-team players in the game against Esperance, so the team approaches the next encounter in prime condition.

❌ Wesley Fofana and Omari Kellyman will be unavailable for the Blues in the tournament—both are sidelined with hamstring injuries.

⚽ Goal Prediction

⚽ Goal Prediction

Benfica have netted 9 goals during the group stage—two of those came while they were down to ten men against Boca, and one was against the formidable Bayern. Bruno Lage's team consistently showcases a strong attacking performance, even against top-tier opponents. Chelsea, on the other hand, revealed defensive vulnerabilities in their match against Flamengo, making a goal from Benfica a realistic and appealing betting scenario. Moreover, the "Eagles" last failed to score on March 3rd in a match against Barcelona. Since then, Benfica have found the net in 18 consecutive games. Thus, a bet on Benfica to score appears quite promising.

🚩 Corner Prediction

In matches involving Benfica, the average total corners stand at 9.3 per game (5.6 for them and 3.7 against). For Chelsea, this figure is 8.6 (with 5.3 in attack and 3.3 in defense).

Considering both teams actively utilize the flanks and boast quick, skillful players, a bet on total corners over 8.5 seems a logical and well-founded choice.

Both teams are well-balanced, featuring world-class stars alongside promising young talents. For Benfica, the standout is undoubtedly the Argentine legend Ángel Di María, who is likely eager to cap his club journey with a major success. Supporting him in attack are Vangelis Pavlidis and the young prospects Prestianni and Schjelderup.

For Chelsea, newcomer Liam Delap has already made his mark with a goal, and he is ably supported by consistent performers like Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, and Enzo Fernández. Both teams have found the back of the net in every group stage match, and this encounter is unlikely to be any different. Thus, our editorial prediction is: both teams to score (yes). Possible scoreline: Chelsea to win 2-1.