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Preview: Benfica take on Chelsea in Club World Cup Round of 16

Preview: Benfica take on Chelsea in Club World Cup Round of 16

Shiriki

The group stage is done; 32 teams are now just 16 with some big names heading home. Most of them, however, remain in the tournament. Chelsea stumbled while Benfica shone, the two face off with a place in the quarters up for grabs.

By Alex Roberts

Enzo Maresca’s side may be looking at this one as a fairly ‘favourable’ tie, missing out on a potential game with Bayern Munich after finishing second in Group D but the Portuguese side certainly won’t be pushovers.

Liam Delap has arrived

Three games, two goal contributions for the Chelsea newbie. Delap bagged his first goal in the 3-0 win over Espérance, receiving the ball, holding off the defender, and cooly slotting past the ‘keeper.

It’s been a while since the Chelsea fans have seen a number nine do anything like that and with memories of Álvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Radamel Falcao still fresh in the mind, it’s caused quite the stir. 

With Nicolas Jackson suspended for one more game, he has the chance to prove himself against an established European side as he and his teammates prepare for next season’s Champions League. Maybe the curse is broken…

An Ángel gets his wings

Once Benfica depart the Club World Cup, Ángel di Maria will leave Benfica. Undoubtedly one of the most underrated players of his generation, he will be heading back home to play for boyhood club Rosario Central.

He was their star man throughout the group stage, scoring once in the 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors and then bagging a brace in the 6-0 victory over Auckland City FC, making him the joint top scorer in the competition.

Five players have scored three goals at the Club World Cup

Even someone who’s been there and done it as much as Di Maria is in the dark as to how this tournament with go. Both sides have had looooong seasons but ending his time at Benfica with a good run, and maybe even a trophy, would be the perfect way to go.

Trying new things

Maresca has openly admitted that he’s using the tournament to try new things ahead of the 2025-26 season. Perhaps most notably, he put Cole Palmer out on the right in the 3-1 defeat to Flamengo, where he was largely ineffective.

One thing that has been a huge success, however, is playing Enzo Fernández slightly higher up the pitch. He’s not quite in the number ten role, but he’s not far off. The World Cup winner took his assist tally to 16 for the season vs Espérance.

No matter the tournament, Maresca will want to get his hands on that trophy when push comes to shove but one thing is for certain, he’ll still INSIST on sticking Reece James in the midfield.

A safe pair of hands

They’re a pretty hot commodity nowadays. Anatoliy Trubin has quietly established himself as one of the more reliable young ‘keepers on the continent, conceding just 28 goals and keeping 13 clean sheets in his 32 league games.

He’s kept that good form up in the Club World Cup, winning the Player of the Match award in the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, making four saves, six recoveries, and two high claims over the 90 minutes.

Chelsea’s situation between the sticks isn’t quite as stable, although Robert Sánchez has certainly improved since the turn of the year. This game will be tight, and Trubin can handle the pressure.

Prediction

These two sides are probably more even than many may think, under Bruno Lage, Benfica are hard to break down and Chelsea often struggle against defensively solid sides. We think the Premier League side will go through 2-1 after extra time.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob this summer – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Benfica take on Chelsea in Club World Cup Round of 16

The group stage is done; 32 teams are now just 16 with some big names heading home. Most of them, however, remain in the tournament. Chelsea stumbled while Benfica shone, the two face off with a place in the quarters up for grabs.

By Alex Roberts

Enzo Maresca’s side may be looking at this one as a fairly ‘favourable’ tie, missing out on a potential game with Bayern Munich after finishing second in Group D but the Portuguese side certainly won’t be pushovers.

Liam Delap has arrived

Three games, two goal contributions for the Chelsea newbie. Delap bagged his first goal in the 3-0 win over Espérance, receiving the ball, holding off the defender, and cooly slotting past the ‘keeper.

It’s been a while since the Chelsea fans have seen a number nine do anything like that and with memories of Álvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Radamel Falcao still fresh in the mind, it’s caused quite the stir. 

With Nicolas Jackson suspended for one more game, he has the chance to prove himself against an established European side as he and his teammates prepare for next season’s Champions League. Maybe the curse is broken…

An Ángel gets his wings

Once Benfica depart the Club World Cup, Ángel di Maria will leave Benfica. Undoubtedly one of the most underrated players of his generation, he will be heading back home to play for boyhood club Rosario Central.

He was their star man throughout the group stage, scoring once in the 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors and then bagging a brace in the 6-0 victory over Auckland City FC, making him the joint top scorer in the competition.

Five players have scored three goals at the Club World Cup

Even someone who’s been there and done it as much as Di Maria is in the dark as to how this tournament with go. Both sides have had looooong seasons but ending his time at Benfica with a good run, and maybe even a trophy, would be the perfect way to go.

Trying new things

Maresca has openly admitted that he’s using the tournament to try new things ahead of the 2025-26 season. Perhaps most notably, he put Cole Palmer out on the right in the 3-1 defeat to Flamengo, where he was largely ineffective.

One thing that has been a huge success, however, is playing Enzo Fernández slightly higher up the pitch. He’s not quite in the number ten role, but he’s not far off. The World Cup winner took his assist tally to 16 for the season vs Espérance.

No matter the tournament, Maresca will want to get his hands on that trophy when push comes to shove but one thing is for certain, he’ll still INSIST on sticking Reece James in the midfield.

A safe pair of hands

They’re a pretty hot commodity nowadays. Anatoliy Trubin has quietly established himself as one of the more reliable young ‘keepers on the continent, conceding just 28 goals and keeping 13 clean sheets in his 32 league games.

He’s kept that good form up in the Club World Cup, winning the Player of the Match award in the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, making four saves, six recoveries, and two high claims over the 90 minutes.

Chelsea’s situation between the sticks isn’t quite as stable, although Robert Sánchez has certainly improved since the turn of the year. This game will be tight, and Trubin can handle the pressure.

Prediction

These two sides are probably more even than many may think, under Bruno Lage, Benfica are hard to break down and Chelsea often struggle against defensively solid sides. We think the Premier League side will go through 2-1 after extra time.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob this summer – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.