After finishing as runners up in Group D, Chelsea are set to face Benfica in the Fifa Club World Cup round of 16. The Portuguese giants beat Bayern Munich to clinch top spot of Group C.
The game will take place on Saturday 28th June at 9pm (UK time) at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will be broadcast live in the UK on the DAZN app.
Chelsea to win (9/4 with bet365)
Chelsea have played Benfica three times in their history, winning on all three occasions. Benfica have only won 11 of their 40 all-time meetings against English sides, losing 21 of them.
After resting the majority of their players against Esperance Tunis, expect Enzo Maresca to go full-strength here.
Liam Delap over 1.5 shots on target (9/4 with bet365)
Liam Delap has started two games for Chelsea since his move from Ipswich Town. The Englishman managed two shots on target against Esperance Tunis and one shot on target against Flamengo, with two big chances missed, showing he is getting himself in the right areas.
And despite those misses, he still managed to open his Chelsea account in the win over Esperance Tunis, following an assist on his debut against LAFC.
How to watch every game at the Club World Cup
- Sign up to bet365 with one of our links below. You could also benefit from the bet365 sign up offer, giving you £30 in free bets when you place your first bet of £10 or more.
- Fund your account with at least £5
- Head to the correct page for the game you want to watch
- The match will automatically start in the top right hand corner of the screen
| Date and time | Fixture | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/07 - 20:00 | Fluminese vs Chelsea | Sign up here to watch | |||||
| 09/07 - 02:00 | PSG vs Real Madrid | Sign up here to watch | |||||
| *All times BST. | |||||||
Benfica vs Chelsea odds
How both teams go into Benfica vs Chelsea
Benfica managed to top Group C on the final matchday, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Bank of America Stadium. The Portuguese outfit took the lead after 13 minutes through Andreas Schjelderup, before shifting into a solid 5-4-1 defensive unit to see out the game. Bayern held 73% possession, took 13 shots and created four big chances without finding the breakthrough.
Chelsea, on the other hand, finished second in Group D with six points. Although they lost to Flamengo in their second game, the Blues took care of business in their other two fixtures. New signing Liam Delap is proving he adds a new steel to their attacking line, while Pedro Neto looks to be in hot form, scoring two in two so far.
The winner of this match will face the victor of the battle between Brazilian giants Palmeiras and Botafogo in Philadelphia on July 4th.
Benfica team news
Bruno Lage will be delighted to have Alvaro Carreras back and available for selection after serving his one game suspension against Bayern Munich. However, Tomas Araujo, Alexander Bah and Manuel Silva will all be unavailable due to injury.
Angel Di Maria has proven that experience is key at the Club World Cup, scoring three goals from the penalty spot so far. Chelsea will do well to avoid committing fouls inside the box with his record.
Chelsea team news
Enzo Maresca will be without Nicolas Jackson once more after his red card against Flamengo, serving the second game of his suspension against Benfica. This will likely mean new signing Liam Delap leads the line again.
Wesley Fofana and youngster Omari Kellyman remain sidelined until the middle of July.
Benfica vs Chelsea head-to-head
Benfica and Chelsea have met on three occasions in competitive football, with the London club winning all three times. Their last meeting came in the Europa League Final back in 2013, which Chelsea won 2-1 to lift the trophy. In fact, Chelsea fans may take encouragement from the fact that they’ve always won a trophy when facing Benfica in a season — also beating them twice en route to winning the Champions League in 2012.
As mentioned, Benfica have a relatively poor historic record against English sides, although they have been known to cause a few upsets.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 15/05/13 | Benfica 1-2 Chelsea | Europa League |
| 04/04/12 | Chelsea 2-1 Benfica | Champions League |
| 27/03/12 | Benfica 0-1 Chelsea | Champions League |