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Benfica vs. Chelsea: Head-to-head record and past meetings

A place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup is up for grabs on Saturday when Benfica and Chelsea lock horns in the last 16 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

While the Eagles beat Bayern Munich 1-0 on Tuesday to secure top spot in Group C, the Blues bounced back from a 3-1 loss to Flamengo and eased to a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis on matchday three to finish second in Group D.

Both European teams are now bidding to reach the final eight, with victory this weekend setting up an intriguing showdown with either Palmeiras or Botafogo on July 5.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Benfica's Nemanja Matic on May 15, 2013

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 3

Benfica wins: 0

Draws: 0

Chelsea wins: 3

Benfica and Chelsea have only ever faced each other three times in competitive matches and it is the Blues who have celebrated victory on each occasion.

The two teams met for the first time in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2012 when Chelsea went all the way to win the competition for the first time in their history under Roberto Di Matteo.

Salomon Kalou’s second-half strike was enough for Chelsea to secure a slender 1-0 first-leg victory in Lisbon, before the Blues claimed a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.

Benfica’s Javi Garcia scored in the 85th minute to cancel out an early penalty from Frank Lampard, only for Raul Meireles to then net a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea.

The following season, Benfica and Chelsea butted heads again, this time in the 2013 Europa League final in Amsterdam where Rafa Benitez led the Blues to a 2-1 victory.

Fernando Torres fired Chelsea in front just before the hour mark before Oscar Cardozo’s 68th-minute penalty restored parity for the Eagles, but it was the Blues who had the last laugh as Branislav Ivanovic's dramatic 93rd-minute header ensured that the trophy made its way to West London.

Previous meetings

Mar 15, 2013: Benfica 0-1 Chelsea (Europa League Final)

Apr 04, 2012: Chelsea 2-1 Benfica (Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg)

Mar 27, 2012: Benfica 0-1 Chelsea (Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg)