Benfica Vs Chelsea are expected to play against each other in what would be a big European showdown at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Both teams made it out from the group stages playing against three opponents to claim a place in the knockout phase.
The Portuguese side finished top in a group that had Bayern Munich and for the Premier League team they finished below Flamengo.
Benfica Vs Chelsea FCWC Preview
It has been a busy season for all teams at the FIFA Club World Cup tournament which all player had little resting time.
Both Benfica and Chelsea came into the tournament knowing they gained automatic qualification.
The Portuguese side were drawn in group C alongside Boca Juniors, Auckland City and Bayern Munich.
They started off with a draw against Boca Juniors which ended 2-2 and put off their chances of doing much.
Their second game against Auckland City started off slowly but they ended up winning 6-0 at the end.
They took on Bayern Munich who were expected to beat them, but it wasn’t so as the Portuguese side claimed a narrow 1-0 win.
They ended up with seven points ahead of the Bavarians who managed to end up as second placed team.
Meanwhile for Chelsea, it was a struggle despite starting off by beating Los Angeles FC 2-0 in a one sided clash.
Their game against Flamengo was the turning point as they were thrashed 3-1 despite scoring first.
The Blues managed to qualify after beating Esperance 3-0 in their final group game to end up second behind Flamengo.
Benfica Vs Chelsea have always favor the Blues more with them winning each games they played against themselves.
Team News And Injury Update
Both managers are good when it comes to having a complete team available to play this match which goes down today.
Chelsea have a suspension in Nicolas Jackson who is banned from two games after his red card against Flamengo.
There are also worries on Reece James who did not play in the last game due to an illness which kept him out.
But there isn’t much that is going on as most regular starters are doing good and ready for action.
For Benfica, they are also in good and looking to carry on with their unbeaten run in the tournament this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the match and it wont be an easy one for both managers who will be taking charge.
Team Lineup And Formation
Both sides are expected to come strong with their lineup and would look to make sure they get the win.
Bruno Lage and Enzo Maresca understand the mission at hand which wont be an easy one to make happen.
Benfica Predicted LineupÂ
Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap.
Both teams have all their players available for the big showdown which the victory is all they need for this round 16.
Kickoff Time
The game is expected to commence at a late period which for the United States is a different time.
The encounter will go down at the Bank of America Stadium between both teams for this round 16 match.
Kickoff time is 21:00 which is 9 PM Nigerian time. You can check your local time to know when the match will commence.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras will take on Botafogo as an early kickoff between both teams who also plays today.
Benfica Vs Chelsea Predictions
It will be difficult to know who go with the victory as both teams have changed so much over the years.
If we are going by history, it should be a match that Chelsea will win like they have always done against Benfica.
However, there is need to talk about inconsistency with the Premier League club who barely made it out of the group.
Here is what we feel could happen in the match later tonight between both European giants from Portugal and England.
Benfica 2-1 Chelsea
Benfica 0-3 Chelsea
Benfica 1-2 Chelsea
Benfica 0-1 Chelsea
