Chelsea face Benfica on Saturday in Charlotte for a quarter-final place at stake in the Club World Cup. The stakes are enormous in terms of economic factors and early-season momentum.
Benfica have been an unstoppable team in Group C, dominating by winning convincingly and beating Bayern Munich 1-0. Meanwhile, the Blues finished second in Group D after dropping points to Flamengo. Enzo Maresca’s side now have a tough task against a well-drilled Benfica under Bruno Lage.
This will be an intriguing battle of wits. Benfica have built a stunning CV behind closed doors, losing just once during the last 16 games across all competitions. Lage has built a brick-like, formidable team with boulders like Nicolas Otamendi, and flashes of wizardry from Ángel Di María. They trashed Auckland City 6-0, drew with Boca Juniors, and defeated Bayern.
Chelsea, though, have been stop-start under Maresca. Routine wins against LAFC and ES Tunis followed a sluggish 3-1 loss to Flamengo. The English side’s attacking solidity can disintegrate in the presence of an experienced defence, which is one problem they face with Benfica’s well-organised backline.
They’ve been given a potential solution in the shape of new boy Liam Delap, and Enzo Fernández continues to be pivotal in setting the tempo.
Chelsea Boss Maresca Speaks About Benfica Challenge
Maresca is well aware of the challenge ahead of them as they prepare to face Benfica in the Round of 16. Speaking this week about the Eagles’ counter-attacking threat, he said:
“The games I watch, it’s quite clear what they do on the ball and off the ball. The way they want to attack, the way they want to defend. I also watch the game playing in different shape with the five at the back.
“We expect anything. The most important thing is the way we prepare ourselves… In this moment, they are all more or less very close. And for me, it’s a game where the details are going to mark the difference.”
Victory not only moves the winner to face off against either Palmeiras or Botafogo but also secures a windfall worth around $13 million. Conditions may also come into play. Blistering heat has been predicted in Charlotte, which could lead to fatigue during the game.